Song for the Broken
by RevanBodyguard
Summary: He was her hero, her master, her teacher, and her lover. When Sergeant Claire Farron met Elite First Class SOLDIER Sephrioth, she had no idea that her fate was sealed from the start. First two parts written by SolidChief on dA. Sephiroth x Lightning Sephight AU/Crossover ONGOING
1. Song for the Broken I

**Hello everyone and let me introduce you to a underrated and not very well known pairing Sephiroth x Lightning or just Sephight. I'm RevanBodyguard posting this story with permission of SolidChief on deviantArt or known as Soldier's Shadow on this site. First two chapters are of his own work and the rest after those are my chapters. I hope that you enjoy our work and please comment and review. **

** AN: The style of this fic is of a "jumping time line" where instances will take time hops between them. The world in which this story takes place is also an Alternate Universe of both FFVII and FFXIII.**

* * *

_He was my hero..._

* * *

Claire Farron shifted uncomfortably in her seat on board a passenger train bound for a Cocoon Guardian Corps training academy, having been selected among a deemed elite of Guardian members similar to herself in rank and ability.

Upon the request of her commanding officer Amodar, Claire had risen to the rank of sergeant within her unit for what Amodar described in the promotion letter as "one of the most determined, reliable and gifted" he had seen in his long career with Guardian. As part of the honor, Claire was being transferred to the "Academy for the Advanced Training In the Defense of Cocoon', the city's highest ranked military institution.

The sergeant leaned back into her seat, crossing her long limbs and exhaled a bored sigh. In the background she listened offhandedly to the animated chatter of her fellow recruits, closing her eyes in an attempt to block it out. In the midst of the conversations resonating across the train car, Claire reopened her eyes to the sound of heavy footsteps stopping in front of her in the form of a heavyset man who looked to be at least ten years her senior. He looked down on her and smirked.

"So you're the 'junior recruit' all the others are buzzing about, eh?" the man questioned, his voice booming and dripping with condescending emphasis on "junior". Claire didn't meet his gaze, she just directed her eyes off to the side but the man followed it and placed himself in it's way. "As an upcoming officer, you should know something called respect, young lady."

"Yeah...?" Claire responded quietly, looking up at the man with a steel look of defiance on her features. In what felt like less than a second, she stood up from her, her hands bolting to the man's forearms and shoulder while her foot went behind his heel. With one quick motion and a shocked gasp from the man, the sergeant brought him down to the ground, twisting his arm behind his back. The commotion brought the conversations going around to an end and all eyes onto the commotion. "It's a good thing you're here, you sure have a lot more to learn than respect." Claire scoffed before exiting the train which had reached it's destination.

The Guardian Corps academy loomed overhead, the front doors being made of clear glass and a large statue of the academy's name stood in front of the entrance. Claire entered past the automatic doors and moved to stand among a group of aspiring officers that looked to be among a whole other unit than her own. She looked ahead where a uniformed officer stood on top of a stage, speaking inaudibly to another man. This one stood tall and clad in black from head to toe with long silver hair that stopped at his lower back. Claire could not resist a feeling of intrigue towards this one due to his appearance, he seemed different than what she was used to seeing in Guardian officers...

"Attention, future officers of the Cocoon Guardian Corps!" The uniformed officer called to the crowd, silencing the entire room. Claire paid only half attention, instead watching the unknown figure cross his arms from behind the speaking officer. "I'd like to welcome you all to my academy, it is a privilege that you were all chosen among thousands to stand in my presence and that of our honored guest..."The officer gestured for the man in black to take his place at the front of the stage with a half way bow of respect. "General Sephiroth of the elite SOLDIER branch of Shinra, the hero of the Wutai War, has graced us with his arrival to our academy.

The entire crowd of new officers exploded in cheer for the general as he stepped down from the stage in front of them. Claire just watched, not willing to clap in applause for a person she knew nothing about compared to the crowd she stood among. Once the Guardian officer silenced the crowd, Sephiroth spoke.

"It is a pleasure to stand before those who shall lead the forces of this city's fighting force..." Sephiroth said smoothly, his voice being just loud enough to resonate across the room. The general broke into a pace, stepping back and forth at the front of the crowd. "Your commanders informed me that your city is suffering from dissidence that threatens the order of your society. Shinra never tolerated those who stood against it, the people of Wutai learned that first hand..."

Sephiroth turned his attention to the upcoming officers, his cold green eyes seemingly locked on Claire, sending a chill up her spine. He didn't seem human to her, there was something about him that just set off a mental switch in her head but also something that seized every bit of the sergeant's attention. The woman blinked twice, hoping to turn the general's attention away from her.

"Your city, it shall not suffer a similar fate and you will be the ones who guarantee it as the hilt that drives the blade into the heart of the opposition. As a favor of Shinra to Cocoon, I will be the one to guide you in your training into the most elite this city has ever seen..." Sephiroth continued, ceasing his pacing and staring back to the crowd, seemingly in Claire's directions again. "Do not disappoint me..."

Claire's features hardened in her usual determined manner. Sephiroth was issuing a challenge, testing them, testing her...

She will not be one to fail.

* * *

_He was my master..._

* * *

"GAH!"

Claire was sent skidding across the floor of the academy training room, her back hitting the wall hard. Standing across from her in the middle of the room was General Sephiroth, his Masamune held at his side and a cocky smirk playing on his lips.

"Get up, you can do better than this..." He taunted his student, stepping towards her as she struggled into a knelt position. Claire gripped her shoulder tightly despite the searing sting that was left from Sephiroth's last attack. As she was about to get up, a shadow came over her; the sergeant's eyes widened as Sephiroth descended on her, his sword gleaming as he readied it for a strike. She quickly rolled to the side, the attack missing her by inches.

No one Claire ever faced before, be it in training or in the occasional encounter with Cocoon rebels could compare to the challenge that was her new teacher. He hit with the force of an earthquake and struck with motions as fluid as the wind; Claire could hardly keep up with him. He was always a step ahead while she repeatedly fell behind by several. Never before was she pushed to such a limit.

"You're reckless and impulsive, Farron. You move and strike to keep up but you know you just can't..." Sephiroth goaded with a smirk. He watched as Claire growled and narrowed her eyes, knowing he was pressing the right buttons necessary to push her. "If you're going to quit, stay down."

"_ He's cocky... So damn cocky! _" the sergeant thought angrily in response to her teacher's words. She'd show him!

Pushing up off the ground through what strength she could muster in her legs, Claire made a maneuver towards Sephiroth, her gunblade hanging behind her. She made a thrust with the blade aimed for Sephiroth's center but he easily blocked it. As steel met steel, Claire made an attempt to kick his feet out from under him but he just back flipped agilely away from the attack. Claire pursued him, throwing her gunblade out at him again.

Sephiroth landed on his feet, twisting fast enough to meet Claire's sword with his own. The general smirked, pushing more strength forward, turning his block into a parry that sent Claire staggering. He then followed up with a swift backhand that sent her onto the ground, the sergeant gasping as she hit the floor.

"Better." Sephiroth commended, pointing his sword away from his downed student. "You're starting to use your head." He finished, tapping a temple with a gloved finger.

Claire groaned in pain, her grip on her gunblade shaking as was her vision from her one open eye. As Sephiroth got closer, his sword aimed towards her neck to show his victory, both of Claire's eyes shot open and her grip on her weapon tightened before she swung it in front of her to knock Masamune away. "Keep your arrogance in check, general, you might just lose in a moment!" she snapped, forcing Sephiroth back. With a sharp battle cry, Claire sent the general's balance off to his side with a strong slash to his guarding sword. As she moved in for a final blow, the sergeant froze in her place, noticing Masamune aimed around towards her, ending their spar in a draw.

Claire growled in dissatisfaction, dropping her arms from exhaustion, her gunblade falling to the floor. Fatigue soon over took her and she fell to her knees. "Dammit..."

The general chuckled lowly, moving to stand upright and then turning to face Claire. "You strike erratically and swift like lightning. Lightning takes many paths before it hits the ground..." Sephiroth stated, Claire glancing up at him to see an outstretched hand to her which she accepted. "I'm impressed, Farron, you are a gifted fighter..." The general pulled Claire to her feet and then made for the exit. "Perhaps tomorrow, I'll make more of an effort in our practice..."

Claire furrowed her brows but couldn't resist a tiny smile forming on her lips at what she assumed was the closest Sephiroth would ever get to giving a compliment. As she limped to the exit, her teacher's words lingered in her head.

"Lightning..."

* * *

_He was my teacher..._

* * *

"Serah, no means no!"

"But Claire, it's soon going to be their anniversary!"

"I know, but you should know that I can't just up and leave the academy at any time I want... Not even for this."

"Okay, I-I understand, sister... I'm sorry."

"Goodbye Serah, I'll keep in touch..."

Claire sighed as she hung her phone up on her younger sister. The younger Farron had been inquiring as to whether Claire could come home to celebrate their deceased parents' anniversary, a tradition the sisters had undertaken since their parents; passing as a means of reverence. The day was usually one where Claire and Serah reminisced together of their days as a family and it pained the sergeant that she couldn't spend that day with Serah.

Claire left her assigned living quarters and made her way to the 'General's Office' to meet with her master, General Sephiroth. He had summoned her to come by and see him for some "very important news" with no detail beyond that.

Over the course of the past several weeks at the academy she felt that her skills as combat, rhetoric and reasoning had been sharply heightened since her tutelage under the Shinra general began. It made her feel strong, stronger than she has ever felt in her life, endowing her with the confidence that she could tackle anything head on...

The only thing that she couldn't seem to handle with this new found strength was her family matters that seemed to grow ever more complicated.

The sergeant stopped in front of a pair of sliding doors that led to her general. She moved to a machine on the side of the entrance and flashed her identification card that was issued to all recruits on day one. The terminal beeped after a moment and flashed a lime green light, opening the doors afterward allowing Claire entrance.

Inside the fairly lavished office, Sephiroth stood in front of a large glass window that overlooked the Cocoon skyline, his arms folded in front of his chest as was typical of him. Claire noted throughout her time under the general that there was never a moment when he was lacking in his professional mannerism, almost as if he simply couldn't of his own free will. It further contributed to the inhuman vibe he exuded to Claire since she met him.

"Sergeant Farron, you made it." Sephiroth spoke abruptly, slowly turning to Claire, his green eyes locked on to his pupil. Claire bowed her head in respect to her teacher before stranding straight. "I apologize for calling you so late in the evening but his matter is of the highest importance, sergeant."

"I understand, sir, go on." Claire responded, folding her arms behind her back.

"The rebels have made their first moves, they've appeared in the lower levels of Cocoon and PSICOM has provided us with their locations..." Sephiroth elaborated, a smirk forming on his lips as if he was relishing in this piece of information. The general stepped towards his desk and extended his hand to grasp the hilt of his sword which lay on the wood, grasping it's hilt. "You and I, Farron, have been given the command to wipe them out.

Claire's eyes widened slightly from both confusion and surprise. "Just the two of us?" She asked quietly to which Sephiroth nodded, his smirk still present. "But what about the rest of the unit? Won't we need back-up, sir?"

"None of them will stand against me... Not for long." Sephiroth muttered in a tone that contained hints of arrogance and malice. He slowly looked to Claire, who appeared to be unconvinced at his words to which he offered a chuckle. "If it's of any reassurance, that is the reason I selected to join me on this mission. You are the elite of your unit, Farron, a very capable soldier... Do you believe yourself up for this task?"

Claire was filled with many mixed feelings about this proposal. She was burning with inner pride that she proved herself good enough for a very important operation but inside her head, she still felt her sister's words from before and the way she apologized to her when she was forced to disappoint her. The sergeant mentally sighed before dropping her head and nodding in acceptance of the mission. Claire lifted her head to a smiling Sephiroth. "Is there anymore you needed to tell me? "

"You can stop mulling over whatever's going on in your head in order to avoid holding us back when our hour comes, Farron..." Claire froze in place, staring her general in the eye with a shocked expression on her face. "Your body language betrays you, you make yourself an open book..." Sephiroth commented, stepping closer to the sergeant, who glanced away. "Speak on it."

Claire turned her head away from him. "Sir, it's not of importa-."

"If it will serve to get in the way of our mission then it better be weeded out or you may just end up dead. "

The sergeant pondered quickly, weighing whether or not she should just tell her general the issue at hand or let it sit to the side. Realizing he had already seen what she thought was an invisible bluff and he'd easily see through more, she opted to share, sighing in defeat.

"My dead parents' anniversary is coming up, I had to decline my younger sister's request to spend that day at home..." Claire explained reluctantly, watching Sephiroth, who turned towards his desk in the middle of his office, taking a seat on top of it. "I suppose I feel as if I'm failing her as her last bit of our family..."

A silence fell over the room as Sephiroth closed his eyes and crossed his arms, the gesture making Claire feel as if he was displeased with what she had told him. She considered apologizing but decided against it, rather standing by her word if only to maintain a feeling of professionalism.

"Your mind is in pieces, you've grown too fast to have pieced it together." Sephiroth declared, breaking the silence and opening his eyes. The sergeant's expression softened at his words, providing him the satisfaction that he was correct in his assessment, prompting him to continue. "You don't know if you should do as your sister wants or what you believe is necessary for her... You're thinking narrow minded. I taught you better..." Sephiroth glanced at Claire, the woman opening her mouth with no words coming out. The general waved her off nonchalantly. "You are dismissed sergeant, go back to your quarters and rest up for tomorrow's mission..."

Claire moved to leave but a stinging curiosity as to Sephiroth's easy understanding of her situation and thoughts. He said she was letting him know through her expressions but his words regarding the situation spoke volumes more on what he may know, whether that information be about her problem or another one. "General Sephiroth... Do you have a family?"

"No." The general replied bluntly, not looking in Claire's direction, instead looking out at the skyline before his window. "Family is an eroding part of life that I never experienced, only knew of..." Sephiroth spared Claire an offhanded glance, noticing her staring intently at him. "I have no family, now do as I ordered... Get your head together and do not let anything cloud your judgment tomorrow, Farron."

Claire quietly nodded to her general, watching as his glance moved away from her before heading off to her bedroom. While his words were blunt and harsh, Claire found herself in complete agreement with them. They served as a wake up call as to what needed to be done in her life.  
For now, she would just had to do what was needed to be done.

* * *

_He was my lover..._

* * *

Was it wrong that she was being unprofessional through this? Was it a sin that was enjoying it? Was it a twisted dream that she was romantically involved with her general?  
Sephiroth leaned Claire back, his warm lips passing over her neck in slow deep kisses that made the sergeant breathe deeply from the elation he caused her to feel. He went on to press Claire down onto a nearby bed, one of his hands holding her wrist in a strong grip to the side as his lips traveled from her neck, over her shoulder, and to her bicep before ending at her open palm.

Claire sighed, her free arm going to her general's long silver hair. The two had escaped away from the Guardian Academy for the day to a luxury hotel, one of the few such establishments existing in Cocoon, normally reserved for the city's financial and political elite. Needless to say, Sephiroth's title preceded him upon arrival, guaranteeing a private suite at the hotel. Claire was allowed entry as Sephiroth's personal bodyguard but she remained in her Guardian uniform to keep up their image.

Over their months together as master and student alongside the missions they undertook together, Sephiroth and Claire found themselves in a relationship that neither of them had anticipated. Claire initially felt what she believed to be romantic feelings for Sephiroth but she had tried her best to dismiss and repress them as best she could but Sephiroth's infallible ability to read his student alerted him to her hidden feelings, forcing her to express them, a task Claire deemed shameful until Sephiroth surprisingly accepted them. However, in the midst of their growing relationship, the two kept it strictly behind closed doors.

"Sir...?" Claire uttered only to be quickly cut off.

"I told you formalities were unnecessary, not when we're together like this... Claire..." Sephiroth interjected between his passionate kisses, using her first name over her last or her title as he usually did.

Claire nodded, heat filling her cheeks a bit as she gently pushed Sephiroth off of her, earning a disappointed expression. She sat up on the bedside swallowing hard as she locked eyes with Sephiroth. "Are...we right in being together like this?"

Sephiroth sighed under his breath, his eyes shutting as he did so. Claire came to recognize this move as one of disapproval over time when her general would allow a glimpse of how he was feeling. Sephiroth straightened himself, moving beside his lover on the bed. "We discussed this time and again... No one shall ever find out about us until we want to be found out." The general stated bluntly, staring at Claire who looked down to her feet. He could read the woman like a book; he knew that she would not listen to any reassurances he offered her until she believed it for herself.

"Are you so sure? We can never be too careful..." There was her stubbornness. Claire being so stubborn was a part of her that he found himself admiring in training and on the front but increasingly irking in their love.

"If you continue to feel this way, feel free to let yourself out of this."

Claire looked up instantly, traces of hurt and angry feelings in her blue orbs. "I'm just concerned for us in case we're discovered! What would your superiors think? What about our status within the academy? We're at risk, Sephiroth!" she almost shouted, her hand tightly clutching the bed sheet beneath her. Sephiroth turned to face Claire with one of of his cold, unreadable expressions but she wasn't about to be deterred by him. "It's not like you to be so blind..."

"Don't mistake me for a fool, I'm more than aware of the risks and possibilities. If I wasn't, I'd still be treating you as only a subordinate..." Sephiroth retorted, watching Claire's face budge slightly and her arms cross.

"Then why do you refuse to even discuss them?"

"Because what's already been said has no place now."

At that, Claire huffed and looked off towards another direction. Sephiroth inwardly sighed, an irking frustration threatening to surface at Claire's stubbornness. Rather than continuing to fight with her and go nowhere, Sephiroth opted for another approach, straying away from his usual professionalism.

"Try to understand, Claire..." The general began, standing up and running his gloved hand through her long pink hair, gaining a slight glance in return. "I would never lead you on if I was oblivious to what's in front of us. I know of the risks and acknowledge your concerns but I'm in control of them. I'd be a fool if I lacked that..."

Claire eased noticeably at her lover's soothing words, her blue eyes softening a bit. If there was one thing she knew for sure about her general it was that he never went into any situation without a plan or a back up plan to another back-up plan. "You're...right, Sephiroth... I was mostly concerned for you..." The sergeant turned towards Sephiroth, uttering a dry laugh. "I should be more like you or pay more attention to your lessons..."

"Don't be like me, I rather like you better as you..." Sephiroth stated, kissing strands of his lover's hair that he held in his palm. He listened to Claire's easy breathing, moving to place a small kiss on her lips. "You should however consider paying attention to what I teach you."

Claire slapped his chest playfully and smiled. "You should be more interesting!"

"You should be more interested."

The two kissed right after that, falling onto the mattress wrapped in each others' arms. Sephiroth soon broke off and moved to straddle Claire, kneeling upright to slip off his coat. Claire was momentarily entranced by his chiseled body but was broken out of it by Sephiroth's hands tugging at her uniform.

"Sephiroth..." She spoke, her voice quiet and tints of pink invading her cheeks.

"Don't tell me you fear this as well, Farron..." Sephiroth smirked, leaning down to take Claire's lips in a deep kiss, feeling her hands slowly move to go around his torso. "You're with me, we're away from the hectics of the academy and the demands of strife... We're together..."

With that, a long night of passion and love followed. Unknowingly to Claire, this would be the last time she'd be with the man she loved, before an unprecedented travesty would shatter this moment in her life.


	2. Song for the Fallen II

**Once again, this chapter was written by SolidChief of dA.**

**AN: The style of this fic is of a "jumping time line" where instances will take time hops between them. The world in which this story takes place is also an Alternate Universe of both FFVII and FFXIII.**

* * *

She couldn't believe her ears, not a single sound could register properly at what she was hearing. Not even one decibel...

Claire had been at the academy taking part in a standard training exercise with the rest of her unit when a heavily wounded Guardian corps soldier appeared outside of the building. The man was in a horrid condition, Claire recollected how he was bleeding profoundly from a large wound across his chest and how he delivered a disc to an officer on the scene before dying. It was a miracle he had even made it this far.

The disc turned out to be an audio recording that he had made during his unit's morning reconnaissance excursion led by General Sephiroth. The sergeant had tensed at this revelation, worry overtaking her silently at this revelation for the absent Sephiroth, but she quickly suppressed it to concentrate on the situation at hand, not wanting emotion to cloud her head as Sephiroth taught her. The disc's recording soon turned out to be a grisly omen...

"W-e're under attack..." A hail of bullets sounded off in the background. "F...Fire...!" Blood curdling screams soon joined the gunfire along with the sound of clashing metal. "He... General Sephiroth...!"

His name. The recording ended in his name, she heard tit end right there, the soldier had screamed it! All the answers as to why or what had happened had vanished as the messenger's life ebbed away.

As the officers worked to keep the news of the possible loss of the Shinra general and his unit silent to ensure the academy's morale stayed strong and the students' oblivious with the sergeant being among the select few students being permitted to know of the incident. Claire had taken note of the arrival of a blue clad squad of men that evening. She soon discovered that unit had been sent by Shinra to assist in locating the lost general and the unit for "confidential reasons."

This proved to be her chance to go and find Sephiroth.

Knowing that Guardian would have vetoed any request to assist in what was a largely unknown operation, Claire snuck away from the academy and stalked the truck convoy of Shina soldiers into the lower levels of Cocoon and into an artificial forest where the lost unit was last seen.

Claire skulked underneath the bushes, trying her best to avoid any detection by the camped out Shinra soldiers. She peaked her head over the brush to see a pair of tents set up with tall flood lights set up at the edges of the site. There was no sign of any sentries on duty.

The sergeant crept slowly forward, hunched over to lower her profile and to avoid any chance of being illuminated by the light. She was alerted from continuing by the sound of voices coming from the tents. Claire stopped in her tracks, unfortunately on top of a stick which snapped. She heard the soldiers inquire as to what the noise was but then heard one shout to aim a light in her direction.

Claire quickly tensed as she heard the sound of boots coming towards her hiding place, her mind racing to figure out an option that would work best in this scenario. Running would illuminate her entirely and leave her open to the soldiers' rifles. She quickly considered hiding inside the bush itself but it was fairly thorny and going inside would make too much noise. Realizing all other options were few and left her open, Claire opted to fight.

As soon as the first soldier came into proximity, Claire's arms shot out to his rifle, prying it from his hands before forcing his body forward into his comrade, knocking them both down, the latter's rifle sounding off and knocking out a floodlight. Another soldier rushed forward wielding a large sword held high over head, swinging it at her in a downward arc. Claire nimbly jumped backwards, avoiding the attack before countering by kicking his feet out from under him before jumping to a less illuminated side as her victim hit the ground and gunfire flew in her direction.

"Dammit, there's so many of them..." Claire thought to herself as she peered out from the side of the tent to see the other soldiers helping their fallen back up and snapping another one awake. She reached behind her to the sheath that held her gunblade when she felt a hand grasp her arm. She quickly snapped her arm away and whipped around only to meet a rifle butt to the face. A sharp pain rippled across her head and her vision became slowly clouded by darkness before hitting the ground.

"Sephiroth..."

"Hey, are you awake?"

Claire's eyes fluttered open, meeting a sharp pain in her forehead and stars twinkling across her vision. She groaned in pain, raising her hand to rub her eyes clean of stars, her blurred sight clearing to reveal a Shinra soldier sitting across from her, his eyes and head covered by a helmet and visor. The sergeant shot up, almost readying herself to flee or fight but stopped when she noticed her weapon was gone and the soldier's rifle only inches from him, easy to grab and shoot her down. Realizing the futility of escape, she sighed and lay back down on the cot she woke up on.

"I hit you pretty hard, huh?" The soldier asked casually, his voice sounding as if he was only a few years younger than herself. "I'm sorry, you shouldn't have been out here, command said Guardian was to stay of this. How'd you get away anyway? I thought your academy was sealed off."

"Jumping over obstacles and tracking are basic training..." Claire grumbled, her head still throbbing from the rifle butt. Unbeknown to the Shinra grunt, she cast a 'Cure' spell, making it inconspicuous through the casual act of rubbing her hand over her forehead. The spell's effects went to work instantly as the sergeant felt the pain relief wash over her, removing her pain and disorientation. She turned her head to the soldier, eyes going to his weapon that he held securely in his lap, and then to her weapon beside him. Perhaps she could take advantage of his chatter enough that he'll lower his guard for a chance to disable him.

"Yeah, true... I had to crawl under barbed wire while they shot at us..." the soldier responded, looking away for a moment as if he was flustered by a bad memory of that moment but he looked back to his captive a second later to see her seat herself upright. "What's your name?"

Claire was taken back by such an unprofessional question from the Shinra soldier. Amodar had always taught her to never ask or devolve on such a question to her superiors or rank file members, let alone the enemy. She decided to play along to complete her plan, this action and his prior ones leading her to figure the boy was green.

"Sergeant Claire Farron."

The soldier nodded. "Private Cloud Strife of Shinra Infantry." He who was now known as Cloud replied before taking off his helmet. Cloud looked just as he sounded, appearing to be in his late teens with sky blue eyes and spiky blond hair. The young man shifted in his seat, placing his rifle to the side, Claire's eyes following it. "Why'd you come out here? "

"Uhh..." Claire stuttered, thinking quickly as to what she should tell Cloud; to fool him further or to just say her plan outright. The boy, though a rookie and seemingly careless, did not strike her as foolish enough to believe what would be an outright lie considering he seemed to know at least the reasons why Shinra was out here and Guardian subdued by their orders. She figured there'd be no harm in telling the purpose discreetly as she'd knock him unconscious the moment the opportunity presented itself.

"I wanted to find my commanding officer... General Sephiroth."

"General Sephiroth?" Cloud repeated to which Claire nodded curtly. The grunt's lips turned into a slight smile. "He was my whole inspiration for joining Shinra, I always wanted to be a hero, just like him since I was young..." Claire looked surprised, her eyebrows raising at what the boy just revealed to her. A slight warmth ached in her chest, Sephiroth had grown to be of similar importance to her over the months under his tutelage...

Out of nowhere, sharp scream, pierced the air from the forest entrance. Cloud and Claire simultaneously looked in the direction where the sound came from, Cloud springing to his feet with his rifle and helmet. "Something's happening!" the grunt blurted out, placing his helmet back on. He grabbed the gunblade beside him and without thinking, tossed it to Claire, who caught it.

"You're just letting me go?" Claire questioned confused by the action.

"My unit could be in serious trouble and I could use all the help I can get and you seem pretty tough, Claire." Cloud stated, fastening the straps of his helmet and quickly checking the clip already in his rifle to make sure it was full. He waved his hand for the sergeant to follow him. "We have to hurry so let's save this for later!"

Claire sprinted after Cloud into the forest, silently wondering what had happened inside. A feeling of dread overtook her as she caught up with Cloud at the entrance to a forest clearing.

"Oh my god..."

The scene before the two looked as if it was a picture taken of Hell. Shinra soldiers lay dead across the clearing, blood soaking the soil and dying it red with their entrails surrounding their corpses. Some of the men were charred and trees lay knocked over near them as flames burned all around. Cloud silently scanned the area, his jaw down and shaking slightly at the horror before him. Claire felt her stomach turn and then her heart stop when she spotted a familiar figure behind the flames.

Standing with a sword buried inside the chest cavity of a Shinra stood Sephiroth. He slowly turned to look towards Claire and Cloud, the flames lighting up his features to the two. His formerly neutral green eyes now contained an ominous darkness within that filled the two with chills that ran up their spines as he stared intently at them, never blinking. Sephiroth pulled Masamune casually from the dead soldier at his feet, stepping past the raging flames with not a single one touching him as he stood only a few feet away.

Claire racked her mind for answers as to how this could have happened. Sephiroth was not a traitor, he was not a cold blooded killer, why had he done this? She knew him but this was not the man before her... He wasn't the man who trained him... Not the man she loved...

"Sephiroth!" Claire called out above the burning flames, the general looked at her emotionlessly. The sergeant threw one of her arms to the side to the hellish image her general created. "What... Why have you done this? Answer me, Sephiroth!"

Sephiroth was not moved in any way by her words, he looked in Claire's direction almost as if she was invisible to him. His eyes soon locked with his student's, sending daggers her way. "They opened my eyes..." He mumbled cryptically, making the two before him exchange confused glances. "The Fal'Cie."

The Fal'Cie. The rulers of humanity that were said to be sent by the omnipotent 'Maker' centuries ago, beings that most people feared for their power. Claire had never known one before but she recalled her parents telling her and Serah stories of their vast foresight and wisdom that was unparalleled by any human.

"What did they say...?" Claire prodded, not understanding what the Fal'Cie would want with Sephiroth.

"I'm not human, I never was..." Sephiroth stated in a low tone, his sword hand slightly shaking. Claire saw this and could not tell if that was from sadness or anger, nothing else about him indicated either. "I'm a monster, a destroyer born to bring ruin to the planet. To bring humanity to it's annihilation and bring an end to the future..." He started to chuckle darkly, raising his head in full view to Cloud and Claire, a manic expression taking over his face. He sounded deranged to the two, a dark smirk crawling onto his lips. "I exist as a paradox, Claire. A hero praised by humans for my power, as a hero... Oblivious to the irony that I was born to wipe them clean from the face of the planet."

"Sephiroth, you need help..." Claire stated quietly. Perhaps what the Fal'Cie had said caused Sephiroth to form a complex with their "revelation", maybe he even misread what they had said. Fal'Cie were not said to be deceitful, they were supposed to be wise knowledge givers and rulers. "You're not what they say, you're a hero to many..." Claire continued, stepping towards Sephiroth, Cloud a few steps away.

Sephiroth looked at the two coldly, remaining completely still as the other two inched closer. Once his former student was within several feet of him, Sephiroth lashed his sword out at her with sudden ferocity. The sergeant gasped in shock, managing to bring up her weapon in defense at the last possible moment but the blow sent her flying into a downed tree trunk.

"CLAIRE!" Cloud yelled out, whipping his head back between the insane general and the downed woman. "How can you just do that!" The Shinra grunt berated, only to be met with a narrowly missed sword swipe that cut the barrel of his rifle off. A few inches closer and that could have been his head. Cloud tossed the weapon aside and ran in a panic to a dead soldier, pulling a sword up from beside the corpse and readying himself in a stance. "You'll have to cut me down too!"

"You, the two of you, are just mortals. Destructive humans that I exist to snuff the life out of..." Sephiroth said, stepping nonchalantly closer to the boy, pointing his sword at him. He smirked, it was no longer the collected and confident one from months before but instead it was one of pure malice and contempt. He looked to Claire, who was slowly pulling herself together from his attack. "Neither of you will leave here alive."

In a moment, the general vanished from sight, leaving Cloud shocked and confused. There was no sign of him when he suddenly reappeared beside him, throwing Masamune out in a horizontal slash that clanged against Cloud's sword. The boy growled and gritted his teeth, trying desperately to overpower Sephiroth. The general did not budge or even exert any strain as he forced Cloud's weapon back towards him. Cloud dropped to a knee under the weight of the attack before Sephiroth reared his weapon back and slammed the blade against Cloud's, a sickening crack following.

Cloud cried out, his forearm and wrist burning with pain from the bone shattering attack. The moment his guard fell, Sephiroth appeared over him and delivered a powerful swipe that sent Cloud skidding into a tree. His hit the trunk hard, his helmet falling off as he slumped over unconscious.

Claire stood up weakly, her legs feeling heavy beneath her and her entire world spinning from the prior attack. As he her vision stabilized, she saw Sephiroth striding over to an unconscious Cloud, poised to end the boy's life. "No!" Claire shouted, firing a volley of round at the general with her gunblade, all of which were cut down offhandedly. Sephiroth looked to her, his expression blank, almost reminding her of when she first met him. She quickly shook off the nostalgia and went into a stance.

"How could you do this? I thought you were better, stronger than this! What made you so suddenly stupid to just in to whatever the Fal'Cie told you and go berserk!" Claire berated angrily, her grit teeth further showing her feelings. The sergeant felt betrayed, the man she loved and revered had just turned into an entirely different being in a flash. The Sephiroth she remembered was always collected, cool and despite his aversion to showing emotion, a genuinely good person. This new Sephiroth was malevolent, insensitive and insane, far cry from the man she knew.

"Hmph. Your feelings, whatever they maybe..." The general began coldly, the flames burning behind him as he got into a stance. "Are worth nothing now, Claire."

With a battle cry, Claire dashed at her former general, throwing out several slashes to his of which were blocked with an attempt to parry the last one negated by Claire quickly pulling her gunblade back. She quickly ducked a retaliatory strike aimed at her head. She she rose, she threw out a kick but Sephiroth caught her foot and shoved her back.

Claire didn't hit the ground by performing somersault just before she made contact with the dirt. Just as she landed onto her feet, she was forced to quickly dodge another sword swipe from Sephiroth. The fighting was intense, the heat from the burning flames making it even tougher on Claire as her skin boiled and the smoke filled her began to exhausted her while Sephiroth continued strong, no sign of any distress.

"Have to keep going..." The sergeant panted silently to herself, jumping up on top of a downed tree to gain some leverage over the general. Sephiroth leaped suddenly and landed gracefully in front of Claire, almost seven feet from where he originally stood. Sephiroth tossed a one handed slash forward at Claire but rather than dodging as she usually did in her past spars with the general, she used one of his own tricks against him.

Just as Masamune came close enough, Claire thrust the side of her gunblade forward before pushing, using Sephiroth's own weight against him and making his balance stagger. The general was caught off guard at this but he jumped off the tree and as he fell, chopped it in half. Claire felt her balance falter and was forced to jump as well, landing hard on her feet.

As soon as she landed, Sephiroth was on the sergeant, sending many slashes her way. Claire managed to block a few but she had grown too weary to stop them all. Sephiroth threw out one final strike, shattering his former student's defense and the long blade digging itself deep into her abdomen. Claire let out a sharp gasp, dropping her gunblade and blood flying out of her mouth as she collapsed to her knees before Sephiroth.

"You fought well, Farron. Such strength..." Sephiroth commended, glowering down at his bloodied lover. He reached his hand out to cup her chin his thumb brushing her cheek absentmindedly in deep thought. The moment seemed to last forever, Claire's life seemingly flashing before her eyes and her mindset becoming slowly deluded as a vision of her lover from only a day ago, took over the visage of the mad man in front of her. She choked out his name but it came out as nothing more than a dribbles of blood to which Sephiroth just glanced at. The general stared at her for short moment, dropping his hand from Claire's cheek, her body slumping over onto its side

"Goodbye..." His final words echoed in the dying sergeant's head as she watched him vanish away from sight, her vision tunneling.

"Claire...? Claire!" A voice called out to the woman, not having the strength to look in the direction of where it was coming from but it was familiar. Soon enough, Cloud entered her fading line of vision, one of his arms hanging limp at his side from his battle with Sephiroth. The boy cursed when he spotted her gaping wound, grunting in pain as he struggled of a way to help her.

"Just stay with me, I'm going to get you out of here..." She saw him lean down beside her, looking into her eyes and lightly tapping her cheek to keep her conscious. "Don't give up, don't die!" He spoke worriedly as he rolled her onto her side as gently as he could to stop the blood gushing out of the sergeant's stomach.

Her vision had suddenly gone black and her hearing was fading, the only things she was able to hear was the seemingly far off frantic cries of Cloud to stay with him and that he'd get help. Her mind said it was of no use but her spirit kept on fighting to stay alive...

Sephiroth was still out there... She had to find him...

To bring him back, one way or another.


	3. Song for the Shattered III

**Author's Notes: Last chapter was SolidChief's final part before I began to continue the story towards the end. I've became such a fangirl for the couple and the characters individually. Can't you imagine that instead of Cloud facing Sephiroth, it's Lightning and that instead of Caius' being Lightning's rival, it's Sephiroth? So Final Fantasy and all its characters do not belong to us but we own this story.**

* * *

_"You fought well, Farron. Such strength..."_

Sephiroth! Wait, don't go! _Try as she may, nothing of those thoughts could be heard from those lips nor did the man she loved waited a moment longer to listen. His unexpected farewell sounded so faint and far away as though it was only meant for her ears alone before she succumbed into the dark. His touch still lingered longingly on her skin but she felt no pain._

"_Goodbye…"_

_She awoke, caught in her despair and bleak darkness to the existence that became reality. She had become so numb but she can still feel him there. The darkness suddenly became ignited with a wall of fire before her and a familiar figure among the flames. Her hero. Her master. Her teacher. Her lover…_

_A deep hearty chuckle that was far from friendly erupted from his throat when the flames parted, his ominous smirk present. She reached out a hand desperately towards the shadow of the man she once knew but he brushed off her gesture and turned his back on her, ignoring her calling out his name. He walked off as the flames engulfed him, the unkind fires that still burned scalding her vulnerable flesh and the smoke that filled her lungs. "Come after me."_

You're taunting me, aren't you? That damn cocky smile again-

"Sephiroth!"

Claire Farron woke with a start at last, finding herself staring at white walls and lying on a hospital bed next to a heart rate device, its monitor displaying her heart beats in a steady bleeding pace. She raised her arm to find an IV attached to her arm and her clothes were replaced with a patient's garb. Her alert eyes scanned around her humble yet sanitized abode and off on the counter lay her uniform and Blazefire Saber gunblade.

Touching her forehead and ignoring the pain of the needle digging deeper into her arm, "What the… Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital, Claire…"

"What?" Claire jumped, turning her head to the sight of a teenager wearing a Shinra uniform stating that he's a private over a lean but muscular build sitting in a chair provided by her bedside. How long has he been sitting there? Enough to see her reacting to her nightmare. His sober sky blue eyes were staring miserably at her that caused her to look away from him. She can recall meeting him before but not his name. He was the one that butted her in the forehead with his rifle and witnessed a horrific scene forever seared into their memories.

_What was it again? Sky? Hope?_

"You don't remember? I guess that's natural, the doctors said you wouldn't right away. You were out like a light for almost a week. General Sephiroth… He stabbed you and you were dying…" Changing the subject, he ran his gloved hand through his unkempt, spiky blond hair. "I'm, uh, Cloud, by the way, in case you've forgotten. Cloud Strife. Sergeant Farron. Ma'am." The young soldier struggled with the proper way to his higher ranking and watching her expression to see which she preferred and didn't find anything.

Not caring for modesty or caring about Cloud's presence whether he averted his eyes or not, Claire lifted up the front of her long shirt and gasped sharply at the heavily bandaged abdomen underneath. Her fingers grazed the thickness of the material in disbelief, yet in a careful manner not to stain at her hands. It was painstaking tough to strain her neck since the budge of the bandages prevent her from curling her stomach. It was all clicking back now. Sephiroth…

Sephiroth meant to kill her and Cloud as he had down his own men. He spoke of the Fal'Cie telling him that he wasn't human and that his purpose was to exterminate all life. He was so swift to execute the two without batting an eye. Celebrated war hero turned sadistic monstrous villain overnight. But he failed to kill Cloud and for a moment, just a split moment, he was… Realizing how forlornly her attention was on her wound and the silence between the two was substantial, lowered the shirt.

"I brought you here and it was nothing short of a miracle that you survived. You've got a hell of a determination to live."

"Where is he?" Claire bluntly interrupted Cloud, her hand gripping the bed sheets, already dreading the answer but she wanted to know. "Where is Sephiroth?"

"He's gone," Cloud replied simply, deciding that sugarcoating what has transpired wasn't going to be satisfactory to the Guardian Corp sergeant. "There wasn't any trace of him after the battle and there have been no confirmed sightings. They're still looking for him though."

That kind of news flared up the dull ache in her heart as well as her temper. "You should've gone after him instead of saving me!" She accused, taking in slight satisfaction in seeing the shock in his face.

"Then you would have died. No soldier left behind. It's simple as that." He retorted calmly.

"What about the mission objective being first?"

"Wouldn't felt good for the conscience if I did."

"You should have…" Claire gave up searching for blame on a single person when it wasn't his fault. She felt her anger begin to subside as she's suddenly feeling the fatigue of what she endured. It was useless arguing on changing the past when it cannot be done. Maybe if their places were exchanged at the time, she would not have wavered to hunt down her lover and abandon Cloud or would have stopped to save him. She would never know the answer to that. "Cloud, how is your arm? Was it taken care of while I was here?"

"Yup! Only a fracture." Cloud rolled back the sleeve of his uniform to reveal a lightly bandaged forearm. "You know, I have you to thank for that's all I really got. I could have died out but you saved me. Carried you quickly to get the most tender love and care you can get." That admiring look in his eyes was just like a reflection of hers when she worshipped Sephiroth more that she allowed during their private moments.

_So that's why he was waiting for me to wake up, only to thank me. Tch. What a kid._

"If that's really what you have to say to me, Cloud, then I have to ask you to leave my room."

"Sergeant, permission to ask a personal question?" When she didn't answer, he continued, taking it as a go ahead. "Did… Did you and Sephiroth have a romantic relationship?"

Hesitant to answer but not having the desire to sound ungrateful to her rescuer, she gave him a small smile. "Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much? Formalities aren't necessary."

"Right. I'll take it that you don't want to talk about it." The rookie grunt awkwardly looked down to his shoes then his head perked up to sudden labored breathing. "What are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm getting out of bed." Claire threw off the covers off of her body and tried to remove the devices monitoring her as well dislodging the needles in her arms and patches off her body. The monitors began to hum angrily.

"Stop, you're going to-"

Claire felt spasms of immense pain hit erratically and hissed sharply, holding on her torso and her body go limp. Cloud caught her body in his arms before she fell out of the bed, and she bit back a curse, abruptly aware that she's useless in her condition. Her spirit wishes to go on and not waste another moment in this room but her body wasn't strong enough yet. The blond private soon settled her back in bed, cautiously smoothing out the wrinkles and tucking the blanket just below her chest. A nurse barged in the room interrogating the reason for the alarm and checking Claire's vitals and reapplying the patches and devices before leaving.

"Hey, you just woke up, you shouldn't move around like that. I understand that you hate staying in bed all day…"

"Every second that I'm spending in here is the farther Sephiroth gets away from my grasp!"

"Sephiroth will be arrested and trialed for his crimes. What good are you if you go after him now? He will make sure that you stayed dead!" His grave blue eyes locked on hers, determined to break down her resolve. "Can't you see that you are paralyzed?"

_Paralyzed? _Claire raised her arms gingerly to test that theory and kicked her legs beneath the sheets, finding them weakened but not paralyzed. Cloud watched with a frown crossing his features, "No, your arms and legs are fine. It's your spine. When he impaled you back there, Masamune severed it but not so critically for you to lose all mobility. Your willpower and that are what made you so lucky."

The woman was speechless beyond comprehension that her jaw dropped with an audible pop, unsure how to take in the news. She wanted to call Cloud a liar, she wanted him out of her sight, she wanted prove him just how wrong he was! She will recover from all this. Just another bump in the road.

"I'm so sorry…"

"Get out," Claire spat out bitterly, lowering her somber eyes down to her lap. "Just please leave." She shut her eyes and felt a single tear trickle down her cheek when the rookie stood and walked away from her bedside.

"Claire, your sister is coming to see you soon. Just thought you should know…" Cloud gave the sergeant one last glance before leaving the woman alone to her thoughts. "I'll be back later to check up on you so get some rest."

_Serah…_

The young teen knew it was difficult to be the bearer of bad news but felt it was her right to know hearing it from him than those unsympathetic doctors that would be more than ready to kick her out once she's recovered and offer remedial solutions with therapy. He wished that there could be more he could do for her. She lost a man she loved and her hero she looked up to. He hasn't even scratched the surface of the bad news that even if she could recover fully that she wasn't to be allowed back in the academy. Her tuition has been revoked for disobeying orders not to leave and because of her relationship with Sephiroth, it wouldn't be good for her to do something drastic.

_Sephiroth found himself staring down at the slumbering young woman curled up beside him. Her strawberry blond hair cascaded on a pillow forming an innocent halo framing her heart-shaped face and her expression, though a weary one revealed her happiness. He gently brushed away strands of her hair away and deliberately leaned down to kiss her forehead. Her eyebrows slowly knitted together by the contact before relaxing and Sephiroth chuckled softly. Her feminine scent was intoxicating and her warm presence soothing. He returned her affections months after their relationship as teacher and student blossomed into something more and last night was the first time they spent the night together. _

_The elite First Class SOLDIER rarely showed emotions and his cold exterior and professional attitude turn people away. Except for Sergeant Claire Farron. She respected him for those quality traits and has placed much effort in her training under him and has exceedingly passed his expectations every time. Maybe that's why he is friendly and loyal towards her, one of the few that he deems worthy. _

_He never told the woman how he felt about her but he was sure to follow through by every action he has made and she affirmed to each gesture and words he chose. _

"_Morning, already?" The young sergeant murmured sheepishly, blinking her aqua eyes up towards his infamous green ones before sitting up in the bed, holding up a sheet that covered her nudity. "Why didn't you wake me, Sephiroth?"_

"_Hmm, I felt it was best for you to rest after how long we were up, Claire…" He reached over to cup her face, his thumb caressing her cheek absentmindedly as the warmth of her flush tinted expression penetrated to his hand. "Did you sleep well?"_

"_Yes," Claire leaned lovingly into his hand, grasping it with her hands, dropping the sheet she clutched to unveiling the lightning bolt pendant above her chest, not minding whether he was looking at her body or not. "Have you, love?"_

_Sephiroth nodded to her question; released his hold on her before reaching to take some of her long curls in his palm and kissing delicately at the strands. Claire compressed herself against him, her soft breasts sensually stroking against his chiseled broad chest as she kissed his lips. _

"_You're thinking about something."_

_Amused to how observant she is and nothing passes her purview, Sephiroth gazed down to the woman he's embracing and gave her a smug smile. "Am I? How astute of you, my dear."_

"_Don't give me that, I knew you were up before I was so tell me."_

"_Well… I was thinking that you're beautiful."_

"_Liar." She alleged, a teasing smile playing on her lips as she commanded him. "Just say something, anything."_

_He gave the strawberry blond a deep hearty chuckle before whispering huskily into her ear as he snaked an arm around her waist and his other hand fondled her breasts. She shuddered at his warm breath hitting her neck. "That wasn't a lie, Farron but since you insist, I was wondering how nothing could be worse than living without you." _

Sephiroth broke himself out of that merciless memory, a bit perturbed on how he could recall the delusions he were trapped in for a while and consider them the happiest moments of his life. Humans only rely on such lifestyles to escape from reality. He is not human, he is a monster and monsters aren't meant to exist happily.

All he had done and said to that woman were all empty promises and unfulfilled wishes, he forced himself to believe.

Disgusted with himself, he crossed his arms over his chest and attempted to dispel these thoughts but found the task impossible. These thoughts that linger would remain with him until the day he died.

Claire Farron is still alive. He can feel her as though she were a part of him. She strived just to live up to his teachings and morals and she is exactly the shell that he was fooled to believe. His former lover and student was most definitely a fighter, it was in her blood and heart. She couldn't have perished that night; she had that Shinra private to save her. Knowing her, she would come after him and would not rest or allow anyone to stand in her way.

The ruthless ex-SOLDIER paced back and forth in deep thought. He told Claire himself that whatever feelings that she had for him meant nothing to her, and she shouldn't mean anything to him any longer. He hated this weakness that came to him whenever it's her name or her memory.

_What would happen if I were to cut her down? Would all these memories be purged at her fall? It's worth a try._


	4. Song for the Condemned IV

**Hello again, and thank you for the reviews so far on this fic! Your alerts, adding favorites, and reviews made me so happy that I was practically bouncing around in my seat, especially reviews! Keep them coming and I'll continue writing this and submitting each of the chapters as fast as I can. Okay, if you have any questions or concerns about anything about the fic, I'll gladly tell you without giving away any spoilers. I wrote a pretty long one just to celebrate that and you may disagree with the Sephiroth/Lightning love story here but bear with me... Hope you enjoy this and review. I need a happy Sephight story... D:**

"_Claire!" A distraught and wide eyed girl burst into the room, her distressed eyes focused on the patient resigned on the bed. "You're awake!" Dropping her bags before rushing to her elder sister's side, the petite girl knelt down and wrapped her arms around the woman and sobbed in both grief and relief. "Thank goodness, I was so worried!" She choked out, her tears staining the woman's shirt. "Oh, Claire…"_

_The one she addressed smiled gently and stroked the girl's pink tinted hair, absorbing the girl's visage and her clothes, her red plaid pleated skirt, a sleeveless dress shirt, black thigh-high stockings, and ivory ankle boots. "It's all right, Serah. I'm all right." She spoke softly and the girl's hold tightened as that only caused her to cry harder._

_If only everything will be okay or it all returns back to how they were. You can never change the damage done in the past._

"Claire, you've got to eat to keep up your strength."

Claire looked up to her younger sister, Serah Farron staring intently with that darker shade of blue orbs of hers. They make her appear wiser beyond her years and clearly show how she cares about those around her.

"You're not eating?" The younger sister stood up from her seat, placing her empty bowl to the side and checked her sister's. "Is it the food?" The petite girl insisted bringing homemade meals everyday, knowing how horrible and bland tasting hospital food is. Of the two Farrons, Serah is the better cook while Claire was better at house work.

Claire shook her head, her fingers pushing the dish away on the tray on her lap. The food has long gotten cold. She had only taken a few bites and drank more water. "It's better than anything I had in a long time, Serah. I have no appetite right now."

Serah's eyes searched her elder sister's face and decided not to exert her as she pushed the lid on the container before placing it away in her bag. "Okay, I'll bring something yummier for breakfast tomorrow!" She declared, forcing a cheerful smile, shielding her true feelings beneath the façade. It's been five days since Serah took time off from her occupation as a teacher to care for her sister. She was prompt to visit her at every meal as she would know her needs better than the nurses. So far, Claire has been deathly silent and hardly eating properly, she was depressed but the younger Farron attempts to remain vivacious and refrains from asking the patient herself on how she came to gain the injuries.

Not meeting Claire's eyes, she turned to face the windows and pulled the blinds open, letting the breeze flow in the room. "Geez, I can't believe the nurses here. How could they leave their windows covered and don't let any sunshine in here?" It was dusk and soon it'll be night time, Claire's room has a perfect view to all the moon, stars, and city lights the hospital is located near to. She knew that her older sister doesn't like having the blinds open and requested to keep them covered at all times.

"It's not fair…" The hospitalized woman became alert to the sudden sniffling that came from her sister and watched the petite girl's shoulders tremble. Serah turned around, jerking her side ponytail, biting down her quivering bottom lip and the tears streaming down her cheeks as she sat down on the bed. "Why did this have to happen to you, sis? Why?"

The strawberry blond raised her wavering hand to wipe her sister's tears away. "Serah, don't cry. Please don't. Stay strong for me." She stretched her arm farther to touch her shoulder signaling for an embrace which she complied, crying in the crook of her neck. Claire pecked her lips against Serah's hair. The full moon's light illuminated on the two sisters as they didn't speak for a time with the sound of Serah's crying present.

Finally the younger Farron broke the embrace and apologized, excusing herself for the night and promises as always to visit the next day. "I love you, Claire. So much." She would remind her before running out before her emotions have another chance of slipping out of control again. Her older sister, even pressed at the odds against her favor, hasn't cried in front of her ever since their parents died.

Tears blinding her and hurriedly mashing her palms against her eye sockets to stop, she bumped into the back of tall figure and fell on her bottom, yelping. "I'm sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going!" She apologized profusely, raising her arm up before peeking up at the man she ran into.

"Are you okay?" The man who appears to be a soldier by the looks of it offered his hand to her. "Here, let me help you up." She clutched his hand gratefully and he assisted her in rising to her feet. He has such kind eyes, a bit alarmed given that she ran into him at this time of the day.

"Thank you," Serah brushed off her skirt in her chagrin, her cheeks burning as red as her eyes. "Um, who are you…?

"Cloud Strife, private of Shinra Infantry at your service, miss." The young soldier gave her a small smile and was struck by the realization on how the girl looked so familiar. "By any chance are you related to Claire Farron?"

"She's my sister," The petite girl nodded. "I'm Serah."

"Serah? Think you can spare me a minute? There's something I feel you should know about all this…"

"What? But the doctors—"

"Didn't tell you everything. I was there with Claire at the time and I brought her here. I knew what happened."

* * *

"It's good to see you, sis."

Claire's aqua colored eyes locked on to her visitor other than her sister. The man stood six feet and seven inches tall in large gray boots, wore a black bandanna over light blond hair, matching gloves, a light blue vest over a black shirt, and a striped blue scarf hanging from a belt under a long beige trench coat with frayed hems. At his side stood her sister and in his arms, a floral bouquet of cosmic lucernes.

"Snow," Claire regarded him coolly with a nod. "Are you going to come in or just stand there and block the doorway?" Snow Villiers is Serah's fiancée and when she first met the man, her very first impression of him is that he was nothing but all talk and acts like everyone's friend; someone that unworthy and undeserving of her sister. Over time, she grew to accept him for who he is and their engagement. He happened to be very protective of Serah and supports her dreams, even going as far as to build the largest school she can imagine for teaching.

Snow sat down on a chair by Claire's bed side, a broad grin on his face. Serah took the bouquet from Snow and positioned the flower stems into a vase of filled water. Lucernes mean life. Claire wondered if Serah picked the flowers herself because Snow, being as he is, an idiot, would have chose anemones which are symbolic for fading hope. She placed the flowers right next to the white stargazer lilies Cloud had given the day before.

"Sorry I took too long, got held up at work. Could've seen you sooner but you know, you were still asleep. Your doctor told us that your wounds are almost healed which means that you can soon focus on rehabilitation. We knew you were going to make it."

"Old news and I'm still here until they can figure out what to do with me," The woman said apathetically, causing Serah to grasp on to one of her hands which she squeezed as best as she could in assurance. "I'm not eligible to have surgery."

"Serah and I have been talking and we want you to live with us as soon as you're released. Would you like that?"

Claire turned to look at Serah and she nodded in confirmation. It was an unexpected question that took her off guard. Before she can respond whether to accept or reject the offer, a light knocking interrupted them before turning the doorknob to enter. It was a man that she hasn't seen before and he wasn't alone.

"Pardon my intrusion. I heard what happened and I can't imagine how terrible it must have been for you to go through. I wish you a speedy recovery." The man spoke with such charisma and held his stature of high class ranking but also deprived of sympathy that was meant to convey sincerity. He had blond hair, blue eyes, and wore a white business suit with a matching jacket over a black shirt. His mute companion beside him acted as a bodyguard wore a black suit contrasting his buyer.

"Just who the hell are you?" Snow growled, so quick to be hot-headed towards those of authority status. "This is a conversation between family only."

"I know who you are," Serah commented, recognizing the appearance as well as manner. "You're Vice President Rufus Shinra of the Shinra Electric Power Company."

"Glad to see that someone knows their history." Rufus Shinra nodded smugly to Serah's direction before setting his attention to the patient in bed. "Seeing that you are with family and I don't have much time to spare, I have to ask for those two to leave. This conversation is strictly between Sergeant Claire Farron and myself."

At that, the bodyguard laid a fancy bouquet of a dozen red roses upon the strawberry blonde's lap before escorting a reluctant Serah, not willing to leave her sister alone without having her questions answered and a complaining Snow suddenly defensive of his future sister-in-law out of the room. They will be allowed back in once business was conducted. Claire was perplexed on the meaning of having these roses for. Roses are meant to symbolize love. Attached to the roses is a card scrawled in elegant cursive that read, 'To the woman with grace in beauty and fierceness. Rufus Shinra.' _Who does this man think he is? _She thought, as her wary gaze watched him take Snow's seat.

"So Mr. Shinra," Claire said dryly, looking up from the card, bitter sarcasm in her tone. "What do I owe the pleasure of your company and interest in me?"

"Quite the sharp tongue you have, Ms. Farron. You sound like him… Like Sephiroth…"

At the very mention of _his _name, her eyes widened in shock but she regained her composure almost immediately so it can pass his notice. "I could have you sent out of this room…" She threatened darkly. Many times she has been complimented how similar she is to the general and for a time, she was proud of it, but now…

The vice president smirked, pleased that in his prodding at what he knew were sensitive topics. "You could, but I can just easily recall my supplied medical staff, or withdraw my intended that my father so graciously approved us to help you return to duty than be confined to your sister's care for the remainder of your life." He eased back in his seat, crossing a leg over the other.

"You were eavesdropping… Well, I can see your company always having its nose into other people's affairs and nobody could have a single private alone to themselves. Why did you come to pay a visit to me now? I doubt it has something to do with my injuries. People of your level don't stoop low to raise moral of troops."

"Eavesdropping is the commoner's term for it, we have eyes all over monitoring you without you even knowing it. Could be your doctor… Or that nurse that comes by daily to keep your limbs moving to prevent bed sores… No matter, our eyes and ears are not what I was here to discuss with you. We have a means of restoring you to before your General turned his blade on you. I believe you're familiar with Mako, Sergeant Farron? It's a radioactive material that we at Shinra harvest and derive much of our wealth from."

She glared at the man, which he merely was mocking her. He enjoyed listening to himself talk. "Yes, and by what you're proposing you intend on using this on me? Nothing these days come free, vice president."

"MAKO therapy. We recently discovered that Mako does possess a potentially healing quality to it that operates in a regenerative matter that could restore injuries ranging from a broken bone to a torn organ. Humans have not yet been exposed to it yet in this fashion, there has been much debate on the 'humanity of it' within my father's cabinet." Shinra waved his hand as he continued explaining. "However, to silence their doubts, we have a private little experiment in which I invite you to take part of in an attempt to make you greater than shy of useless."

"You're joking…" Clare gasped softly, exasperated. He used that same word of how exactly she felt about her condition but he also caught her interest. "So if this experiment does succeed? How do you know that I won't speak a word of this? What do you intend to do with me then?"

"If it succeeds and you turn our generosity against us, your loved ones as well within our reach. I can rub two fingers together and your sister will be at gunpoint or maybe that grunt you're fond of, held for treason. You'll be silent for them, not us. After you are healed – if you are healed – you may be free to go on your way… Just like that."

She gritted her teeth. "You wouldn't dare…" Nobody threatens her family. _Nobody. _Serah was the only family she has left, and Cloud, while she and he aren't best friends have been on friendly terms. He came to visit during the end of his shifts everyday. She can't say that she's fond of him.

He sneered at Claire, the infamous arrogance setting in the Shinra heir. "You wouldn't want to test that, would you, sergeant?"

It took all of her willpower to vanquish this disgust and anger for this man who seeks only to make him despise him every second he breathes. She focused her questions back on the top secret procedure that could either save her life, end it, or so on. More to gain so far from what she's hearing than to lose. "And what happens if the experiment proves to be unsuccessful? Would I succumb to Mako poisoning?"

"If it is unsuccessful, then you will mutilate beyond the beautiful woman you are now into something far more…" He paused, reaching over to yank a rose from the arrangement and crushing the young bud in his hand before spreading its petals on her sheets. Appalling."

"What are the chances of survival?"

"Chances of survival are two to one, a slight disadvantage to you but you've lucked out through worse. You're still alive, Sephiroth never made that mistake before."

"Tell me, Shinra," Her tone and beautiful features seething in contempt for this man which he is visibly enjoying. "This predicament of mine must be a wonderful opportunity to become your guinea pig and for you to come in and say that name in front of me." Part of her wants to make the decision to accept Shinra's offer and to begin her life anew and the other part wishes to tell him to shove it, claiming her dignity where she is now and not to be used any longer by being a test subject.

This was too much to absorb all at once.

"It is a perfect opportunity, absolutely golden. We pulled many strings for this, including revoking Guardian Corp's desire to dishonorably discharge you and pay off your debt so young Serah isn't left a destitute. Hate me for all this, hate me for saying the name of the man who betrayed you… In the end, I am your savior or your executioner." Rufus Shinra stood and turned away from the solitary young woman and sauntered towards the exit. "I will provide you a twenty four hour ultimatum. Accept and the experiment goes on. Decline and you'll be wheel chaired out of here by the end of the week… Choose wisely, Farron."

* * *

"Say ahh," Serah chirped, raising a toothbrush and brushed gently inside Claire's mouth before giving her a cup of water with a straw to it which Claire blew through. "Let's get you cleaned up before you go to bed, okay?" Her elder sister has been even more silent since that unexpected visit by Rufus Shirna and refused to divulge in what they talked about to her and Snow. She had her dispose the bouquet of roses along with the card. She seems more distracted but she has been listening when Serah urged her to finish her meals and tried to hold a conversation. Snow had left in the afternoon so it was just the two sisters for the night.

Unbuttoning Claire's shirt, Serah always encountered the sight of the unsightly scars on her body and it wasn't from the sword wound on her abdomen. The first time that she endeavored bathing her sister, she was astonished by the numerous battle scars that riddled her fair skin, some faded and healed, others that would be served as a reminder every time Claire looks at her body for the rest of her life. It broke her heart and it must have upset her sister for she ordered Serah to button her shirt back on.

Now accustomed to those blemishes, she dipped a towel in basin of warm water and wrung it out and started scrubbing gently on the back. These were only physical flaws to the admirable and gorgeous Farron; it's only natural that soldiers would have some disfigurements in return for what they sacrifice in their service. These scars are befitting of her somehow… Thankfully, Serah has never seen the recent stab wound for it was woven under those thick bandages. But this time, only thin, nontransparent patches were applied to where the sword wound began and ended.

Claire tensed under her touch but had shut her eyes, allowing Serah to continue with the bath. There was something on her mind but she chose not to comment. Serah paused and Claire's eyes opened in question.

"Don't worry about me anymore, Serah. I want you to go. Live life for yourself. I'm finished. Don't waste your time on me. That's what you're thinking, right?" Claire glanced wistfully away, admitting her thoughts just by her expression. Serah leaned down. "Dummy. You're the one wasting away pouting instead of eating." Claire could see that Serah is scared but under that quiet and gentle exterior hides that resilient and dependable core. She spends just as much time worrying about her elder sister's well-being as much as Claire does Serah's. "Claire, you practically raised me ever since Mom and Dad died. Now it's my turn to take care of you. You're my sister and the family I have left."

Soon the bath ended, and Serah began to brush through Claire's strawberry blond hair when she soon noticed that her bangs were grown purposely to cover a jagged looking scar. "Sis, where did this scar come from?" She asked before she could stop herself. Apologizing wouldn't rectify her mistake but worsen it into a greater one.

The elder Farron reached with a feeble hand, her fingers trembling as they traced the outline all so carefully, like she has forgotten about that one, smiling softly. "This came from one of my missions, I was knocked out by an explosion and my commanding superior carried out to safety. When I came to, he gave me hell about endangering myself then commended me for saving lives, then he…" She ended her tale abruptly, dropping her hand, her aqua eyes bearing great sorrows behind that once blissful memory.

"Claire…?"

"I'm sorry for not being there with you when you needed me, Serah."

"Why are you saying this all the sudden? If this is about our parents' anniversary, that was months ago."

Claire shook her head. "For everything. Now I can't protect you. You and I don't know what's coming next in the future."

"Sis, stop, you're saying that like you're going to die…"

Claire smiled, a genuine one that her sister hasn't seen in a long time. "No matter what happens, I will always love you, Serah. Never forget that."

* * *

Claire Farron stayed awake that night, finding it fruitless no matter how hard she tried to get some rest. She tensed under the sheets, restless. Serah left for the night and would be back tomorrow. She is fully aware that hospitals have their own security but being in one place for too long is a dangerous move.

A smooth, husky voice halted her train of thought, a voice that she thought she'll never hear again. "I can see you writhing… Clawing for protection. So strong on the exterior, still yearning for protection…" The Legendary SOLDIER stood by her side, and bore his cruel green eyes down the young woman.

The woman's eyes widened in disbelief, her heart swelled with that melancholy warmth she used to have at the sight of him and the blood in her veins froze. "You can't…" She tries to move her crippled limbs to get away as far as possible. "How…"

_How did he get here? The windows weren't even open and he didn't go through the door!_

The silver-haired male smirked, taking delight with the fear she displayed towards his sudden appearance. Her love for him must have waned like it should have. "You're my student, Farron. I felt the need to…" He paced slowly around the tiny room. "Check up on you. You have nowhere to go…"

She felt his sincerity then, he wasn't the type to speak empty words and even if she were hospitalized in the past, he never brought gifts. "Wasn't I more than just your student? You were more than just my teacher." Her eyes watched her former lover carefully, as her hand inched towards the desk where the flowers vase was placed. "So much more…" The man turned to face her.

_The man that didn't believe in materialistic exchanging of gifts and didn't care about the number of scars inflicted on her body, he merely proved his actions and didn't bat an eye when he ravished her body. He loved her as an equal and a comrade. The one that viewed her more than just a soldier. _

"At a time, perhaps… Now, you're another member of a doomed race with no prayer in surviving…" He spoke so coldly and his expression devoid of all emotion, he looked like exactly when she first met him. He's purposely attempting to dilute her opinion of him in the past.

Sensing that he's hiding the slight tinge her words have on him, "You must be so disappointed that I survived…" Her hand stopped by the vase, resting on the table. She wanted to see what he is trying to prove here. He hasn't attempted to kill her like she thought. "But you forget that we are lovers and even before that, we were close. I can read what you're concealing from me, Sephiroth."

"No, your survival, while unexpected, shows this pitiful race has greater resolve in some of its members." He smirked in amusement, crossing his arms over his chest. Even like this, he found his former lover stunning and cunning as always. "You speak of the past as if it has held any bearing on the events before us, Claire. Can you really? Or are you holding onto a sliver of hope that I can come back to you?"

She raised a hand towards the visage of the man she loved. "After everything we had, you aren't a lost cause. Without hope, why the spirit to live? I'm still here so you couldn't have forsaken all humanity. I still love you even after everything." She confessed with a sad smile.

"Then you're as pathetic as the rest of them." Sephiroth's smirk turns into a hardened state when he batted her hand away causing her to wince. "A sentimental, lovesick fool…"

Her hand gripped around the slender vase and threw it at him which he had caught. "You're a fool for believing that killing me would change those feelings!" Her hands searched for something else to throw at him and she found a thick book. "If I'm just like the rest of 'them', what are you?" She was frustrated with him on how he keeps referring himself a far cry from human and treats her as vermin.

"Then I'd have lied to you about being in love with you… I am not human, I never was. I am above, beyond, and that is why I was chosen to destroy your race…." He crushed the vase in his gloved hand, the fragments dropped to the floor.

Claire exhausted her reserves of strength, immediately her breathing labored after throwing a thick book at him who casually leaned to the side and glowered at her efforts. She felt so weak and helpless. She knew better that he would dodge those and kill her instantly but she didn't care. Her life is already miserable when he betrayed and crippled her. "You were… In love with me… You still are… Just because the Fal'Cie told you that… All lies…"

"And that is why you'll remain nothing to me… A hopeless, empty shell of a woman… You're more than pathetic, you're a pitiful sap." No hesitation, no remorse, no reaction to the words that damaged the heartbroken woman.

"I can't believe you…" She glared at him for being so condescending towards her, her eyes glistened with tears ready to fall. "Why are you here? Have you come to end me?" All that pent up animosity for this man before her that continued to tear her heart further. "Good, I'm sick of hearing how I'm just like you! You are a pompous, arrogant and heartless man! I don't want to be like you!"

"Hmph," He harshly grabbed her by the chin. In those alluring aqua colored eyes, those tears spilled freely to his leather gloves by his sudden advance. Those eyes once held reverence still have that spark that verified that lasting love for him. "Ending you like this would be far too unfulfilling for my pupil… I want you to show me that there's a semblance of the strong hearted woman left in you. Then, I will cut you down."

She tried to jerk her chin away from his vise-like clutch but he was powerful. "Nice plan," Her lips curled into a tart smile and the words acidic. "Make me suffer more already until I find and stop you." What did he hope to cut her down at her best? To make an example out of her?

He released his hold and tossed her away. "Stop me? If that brings out the stronger Claire that I crafted, cling to that hope." The man's tear stained glove tightened in a fist. "You have proven adept at living in hopelessness…" Love has made her weak and as him…

Claire fell back into her bed and massaged her jaw, disregarding those signals of pain sending up her brain. "And you're delusional for thinking that you're meant to destroy all mankind. You're living in some twisted fairy land where you think you're god."

"Then how do you explain how I am in regard to the rest of your ilk? I was always different. Faster… Stronger… Smarter… No human could ever have dreamed to be on an equal level of existence. Deny that however you will, you'll be grasping for straws, finding none."

"Simple. You're full of complexes and have a massive ego. You think you're beyond salvation. What do you have to achieve by killing me?" She explained flatly, clearly showing how she doesn't want to carry on this conversation anymore and he can see that.

"Say what you will, formulate any retort, all are aimed towards your dead dreams. You were my earthy attachment… Only way to snuff out weakness is to eliminate it yourself. You're afraid… You're angry… You're hoping that I will return to hold you and be the protection you so crave… It makes no difference, Claire… You will forever rot in your sentiments." He departed, fading away from once he came and leaving Claire alone in the dark.

The young woman stared at where Sephiroth stood last with a blank, unreadable expression, finding it hardly any use to scream at him. That would be the equivalent of screaming in the vacuum of space. She doubted that he would return or he would have more to say until she is ready to confront him. She wished that it were all just a dream or that could've been handled much better. "Damn you… Why did you do this to me?" She's not afraid, she's abashed… She's not angry, she's wrathful. She's ashamed of him… She couldn't save him from himself and was almost killed in the process.

"_Nothing more than a broken shell of a woman, still hurting from the tragedies of yesterday and striving for a purpose to fill that empty void. How sad…"_

* * *

"You came on time like you did yesterday," Claire noted to the light knocking at her door. She has been studying the clock since Snow, Serah, and Cloud aren't planning to visit until later and Sephiroth wouldn't show himself in broad daylight.

Rufus Shinra opened the door slowly, flanked by two guards. "I am to be the future president of Shinra, a company that has influence over the entire world. Wasting time is not a habit fitting for such a character." He set down his suit case and stood in front of Claire's confined bed. "I'm here for your decision."

Claire nodded, deciding to choose life for no longer being a burden on her sister and she vowed to go after Sephiroth last night. She mentally thanked her former lover for the extra influence whether he knew or not. "Are we still on the terms that if I agree, my sister is set for life, Cloud won't be touched, and I can return to my life without having to see your face ever again?"

He chose to ignore Claire's uncouth remark. "I'm a man of my word, Farron. All of our terms are still in effect so long as you don't turncoat. I take it you saw my offer as the only one that keeps you from being a piece of the furniture?"

"I don't believe that the terms involve telling you my reasons."

"No, your reasons are not of any importance to me. Unless… Shinra paused, staring down the sergeant in the eye, attempting to probe the woman's facial expressions again. "You deem it essential for our conduct of this procedure?"

She stared back with hardened eyes and newfound resolve. "Now you doubt my choice when I agreed?" _How dare this spoiled brat keep tormenting me?_

The man realized his ploy failed and glances away from her eyes. "No, just call it morbid curiosity." He raised a hand to motion to his men. "Bring Sergeant Farron with us. A Shinra medical center is where this experiment will take place as this establishment is far too localized and lacking in necessary tools…"


	5. Song for Ones That Avoid This World V

**AN: Bringing you another chapter of Song for the Broken. This chapter was written to be very long so I decided to split "Song for The Ones That Avoid This World" into this part and the next chapter following it will be named "Song for Those That Let It Burn" instead of just Part II because that would be a little boring. Let me show you a list of songs that I feel that are Sephight themes: **

_Already Over by Red_

_Let It Burn by Red_

_Call It a Monday by Bim_

_Cold by Crossfade_

_Not Strong Enough by Apocalyptica_

_Shattered by Trading Yesterday_

_Just A Little Girl by Trading Yesterday_

_Numb by Linkin Park (Dubstep Female or Original Versions)  
_

_What Have You Done by Within Temptation_

_Black Black Heart by David Usher (slow and remix versions)_

_Illuminated by Hurts_

**That is all, I hope you enjoy this chapter because we finally hitting the action part, don't know how many chapters are left but I hope you stick around. Review and ask anything for clarification or anything. Does Sephiroth still have feelings for Claire? As for Cloud having any affections for Claire, well... That's up to you, reviewers... **

* * *

"_Claire…? Claire!"_

_Private Cloud Strife of Shinra Infantry had rose to his feet, recalling that the last thing he saw before he was knocked unconscious was General Sephiroth delivering a powerful swipe that sent him back into a tree. When he came to, he was expecting an ongoing duel between Sephiroth and Claire but saw the downed sergeant lying on her side and the victorious general escaping and vanishing from sight into the flames. One of the private's arms was hanging limp due to the blow by Sephiroth. His life would have ended right then but Claire diverted his attention and saved him. He owes her his life._

_There was no possibility that he could stop Sephiroth now and Claire could really use medical attention. Even the two of them together couldn't stop the gone rouge SOLDIER. He chose to rescue the woman that he just met. Sephiroth wins for now._

_Among the smoke, flames, and corpses on this hellish battlefield, he found her. Her aqua eyes were glazing over, seeing through him but not really seeing him, focused on the man that betrayed her get away from her purview. Then a single tear rolled down her cheek. He knelt down beside her and surveyed to see where her wounds were, cursing at the gaping wound on her abdomen. Crimson gore blossomed from the stab wound and seeping to the middle of her Guardian Corps uniform. Her strawberry blond hair disheveled, her mouth was gaped wide open with blood dribbling from it when her lips moved to speak and her eyelids fluttered to stay awake. He grunted in pain as he struggled of a way to help her._

"_Just stay with me, I'm going to get you out of here…" Cloud looked into her eyes and tapped her cheek to keep her conscious. "Don't give up, don't die!" He spoke as calmly as possible, applying firm pressure to keep the blood from gushing out of the sergeant's stomach._

"_Hey! Is anyone there? We have an injured sergeant that needs medical attention!" He frantically called out to only meet with the silence of human voices and the fires burning from the wreckage. Everyone was slain down like animals by his childhood hero, his friends could be dead too… He leaned down to the sergeant and started to sound worried when the sergeant's eyes slid closed. "Stay with me, I'm going to get you help. Come on, stay awake for me! I'll be right back! Don't die!"_

_Cloud bolted off to find a running vacant vehicle to drive the two of them away from this hellish scene. The first two vehicles were locked and required a passcode to override the security placed. The third was a truck, definitely not one of Shinra's which made Cloud wonder if there were civilians involved too. Smashing the glass of the driver's door to unlock it, there weren't any keys inside but it was easier to hotwire it. He ran back to Claire._

"_Claire, I found a truck. I'm going to get us out of here." He wrapped his good arm around the woman's body and lifted her over his shoulder carefully and took her in the interior of the truck, laying her on her back, hands laid over her abdomen to supplement the pressure on the wound after removing his cowl to bind it there as a make-shift gauze. He started the truck and drove off, not paying any heed to the speed limit._

_He parked by the closest medical center in the area and hoisted the bleeding sergeant in his arms, his injured arm under her legs and his other arm holding her shoulders pinned to his chest. Her head drooped forward and she murmured weakly, "Sephiroth…" Whatever relationship she had with the man, she seems to care about him deeply._

"_Claire, hang on a bit longer, almost there…"He reassured again to the woman. She looked almost angelic even with the blood, bruises, and wounds, not retaining the demeanor of a disciplined soldier like when he met her a few hours ago. She looked almost in peace with herself with her life fading away. _

_She lost too much blood and hasn't been responsive to any of the words he said to her. He continued to keep talking to her and retain his slipping calm._

_He was distraught that he was going to lose her._

Damn you, Sephiroth! That bastard!

_The hospital was vacant, it has been past visiting hours but there should be staff still on duty yet they weren't at the front reception desk. No sign of security either. He's running out of time, Claire is clinging on to life and who know for how much longer._

_He screamed from the top of his lungs, ignoring that burning sensation seizing up from the oxygen he had used up running here. "CAN SOMEBODY HELP ME? THIS WOMAN IS DYING!" _

_His pleas were answered when nurses saw what the commotion was and some ran off to find doctors and others tried to find a stretcher. They assisted him into easing the sergeant onto it before equipping her in, checking her pulse, fitting an oxygen mask over her face, and wheeling her away to the emergency room. Cloud moved his legs to follow but one of the nurses stood in front of him._

"_Sir, you're injured as well, aren't you?"_

_Cloud gripped to his limping arm protectively. "Yeah, but I'll be fine. It's nothing serious than a sprain. Right now, Claire needs me—"_

"_She is attaining required immediate treatment. For the meantime, we must care for you too. She'll be in there for a while so come with us and you can wait here for her afterwards."_

"_Tell me what's going to happen to her before I go with you."_

"_Her pulse is faint and her condition is critical. We have to perform a blood transfusion and heal her wounds. Right now, she needs to be revived. If it's not possible… My condolences."_

"_She can't die; she's too tough to go down easily." _

"_What is your relationship to the patient? Are you her friend or her boyfriend?"_

"_She's my comrade."_

_Hours in the waiting room dragged on to what seemed like eternity. No updates since Cloud's arm was examined and properly cared for. He paced around the room and sat in one of the chairs, glancing out to the emergency room for what it was like every five minutes. He was too fatigued to close his eyes and unwind. He simply can't do it when he doesn't want to doze off while that woman was struggling for her life. His other worries also lie in the authorities investigating the incident will be harassing Claire eventually._

"_Your comrade has been stabilized. But she hasn't woken up. She's in a coma and we can't determine when she'll ever wake up. The sword wound, it miraculously missed her vital organs like the wielder didn't intentionally mean to kill her but she is paralyzed. The blade severed most of her nerves and spine. She can move but it's all limited in her capabilities. Surgery cannot repair what's been done to her."_

"…_Can I go to see her?" He felt that he should take responsibility for what has happened to her. Had he been stronger and his guard hadn't dropped, she wouldn't be here right now. He felt compelled to stay by her until she awoke to let her know what happened. She has a right to know.  
_

"_Yes, you may."_

"_Claire…" He whispered, glancing upon the unconscious sergeant. She was pale in contrast to the gown they put her in, the sheets covered her abdomen, and the scratches and bruises on her arms and face are now evident. She looked like a murder victim in a morgue. "You got to pull through, you can't sleep forever. Wake up…"_

* * *

Cloud had revealed what transpired to the younger Farron on the night that he met her. All except the fact that Claire and Sephiroth's history of being lovers, that he suspected from their first name basis and interaction and not to distress Serah any further. Their relationship was mostly of a subordinate and her commanding superior that turned traitor. But for what it's worth, the girl thanked him for telling her and appreciates him for staying with her sister.

He ran into her again on the way to see Claire, and at the petite girl's side was a blond haired man that towered over her size. She held a lunch box while the man carried parcels that occupied his huge arms, probably for Claire.

"Cloud!" Serah waved before running up to meet him, her ponytail swaying behind her and lunch box swinging. "Coming to see Claire?"

Cloud smiled. "Who else would I see here?" His blue eyes wandered to the man that stood beside her.

Serah followed his eyes and returned the smile, waving her free hand. "This is my fiancée, Snow." The same hand touched the arm of the one she addressed as Snow. "And this is Cloud."

"Hey, nice to meet you, man." Snow fumbled and shifted his weight with the bundles in his arm and stuck out his hand. "Serah here told me about how you saved my sister-in-law. You're a hero."

Cloud shook his hand, his other hand rubbing the back of his neck. "Actually Claire saved me, I just did what I could."

Snow dropped his hand and slapped the younger man's back causing him to stumble by the force, winking. "Nah, a hero's a hero and you are one of them. Glad that sis has her own hero looking out for her." He grinned before Cloud could ask what he meant by that. "What are we waiting for? We shouldn't keep her waiting too long. She's probably thinking that we're late."

"What do you mean that she's checked out?" Snow asked, setting aside the parcels on the desk. The three have checked in to be permitted to see Claire during visiting hours but the receptionist just informed them that the sergeant had been released by the hospital. It was a preemptive turn and it was earlier than expected for the hospital let her go. "Check again. Claire Farron. She's twenty-one years old, has pink hair, about this tall." He illiterates, determined to have the person to find her records.

The receptionist didn't bother checking the systems on the computer. "Ms. Farron was checked out earlier this morning, sir. I don't know how to be more specific than that."

"By who?" He slammed his fist down on the desk, but the receptionist wasn't the slightest fazed. How could they not alert the direct family contacts first about their decision?

"My apologies but that information I cannot disclose. You must calm down or leave, you're causing a disturbance."

Cloud dashed off into the hallway to where Claire's room was and swung the door wide open. Serah called out his name and ran behind at his heels, both of them leaving Snow behind with the receptionist desk.

The room was indeed vacant of the sergeant as the receptionist confirmed. No custodians had entered to the room to clean and prepare the room judging by how the bed wasn't made yet. There was no struggle as if Claire had gone willingly but she couldn't have walked out of here if she wanted to because of her disability nor would the personnel let her go freely. It was as though someone got her released and has taken her. There were broken fragments of what used to be a vase, water, and crushed flowers on the floor. Cloud asked himself what could have happened in here.

Serah entered the room, breathing heavily when she caught up to Cloud. She frantically searched the humble room, dropping the lunch box in her hands. "Claire… No…"

"We'll find her, Serah." He was just as concerned as she was. Assuring her may be reassuring himself. "Someone took her…"

Her eyes widened and she trembled uncomfortably, pressing her hands against her mouth. "Cloud, Vice President Shinra took her."

Cloud faced her. "How do you know that?" What could Shinra want out of Claire?

"Yesterday, he visited her. They were talking about something that wasn't meant to be heard by us. She began to act strangely after that…" She bit down her bottom lip, not looking at Cloud. "This is my fault." Serah berated herself for not connecting Shinra's visit and Claire's last words sooner. "The truth is, I had a feeling that she was hiding something for me. She has her own battles ahead of her; she's fighting herself too. So I swallowed the words I wanted to say. It was the hardest thing I ever did." She lowered her head somberly, knowing she failed her sister. "And the worst mistake I ever did."

* * *

"Whatever the reason for you doing this, focus on that. Maybe it'll help."

"Trust me, I've been through worse."

"No, you haven't."

The doctors had applied wires that monitored her body across her chest, from her shoulders down to her triceps, and barely above her pelvis. The nurses assisted in inserting mechanical needles guided by their superiors' directions. They were long needles that prickled slightly at first before following sharp pains in both her forearms. She had asked one of the nurses why the second needle when it would only be one injection only to get a response that the other one is needed as a pain killer before scurrying off. Somehow, she sensed that was a lie.

"You should listen to her, nurse." The voice echoed upon his arrival that Claire didn't even need to look up to see that it was the self-esteemed vice president. They had parted ways in separate vehicles before the destination here and she was expecting that he wouldn't be present for this. "Ms. Farron survived Sephiroth…" He gave Claire a cocky smirk when his eyes were on her.

"How soon I have to hear that voice again is too soon…" She lamented, her head couldn't turn. "I was hoping you wouldn't be in here to see this. Don't you have a meeting to go to?"

"You should be more respectful. I'm giving you a new chance at life; I can easily revoke that if I wanted to. I'm representing my father here; he's a busy man so I'm overseeing this experiment in his place."

"Lucky me…" She scoffed under her breath. If the pampered junior was like this, she'll hate to meet Shinra senior. "Explain to me why I'm tied up and stripped like this?" Shinra company employees have removed her hospital attire and had her wear leaden, form-fitting gear that only covered her breasts and around the hips, revealing much more than she would've liked. Now everyone can witness those horrid scars that disgrace her fair skin. The unkind metal board already made her limbs twinge where apparel didn't cover.

Shinra stepped to the rails to overview the tank. "You're going to be submerged underwater to assist in numbing the pains of a series of injections that will release the Mako into you. The substance burns like acid, bracing you down will stop you from flailing and wavering only to drown yourself in the process. We want you alive, Farron, at least to see how the effects of the Mako on you."

"How long are you going to keep me here once the treatment is complete? No need to stay here any longer than I should."

"That depends if you come out still recognizable, Farron…" He spoke nonchalantly, arms behind his back.

"We don't know that until we try. Let's get this over with."

He nodded towards the nurses to assist Claire. "Make sure the straps are reinforced. We don't want any accidents…"

"Yeah, who wouldn't want more company secrets of questionable conduct under the sleeve?" She winced slightly at they bounded her reinforced restraints constricted the circulation in her wrists and ankles.

He slightly smiled and that unsettled her. "You're in no position to be talking about secrets, sergeant."

"Everyone has their secrets, Shinra." She retorted flatly.

"I suppose… But hypocrisy is never appreciated."

"What do you mean by that…?"

"Forgetting your room was bugged allowing us to hear your poignant speech to Sephiroth… Shinra smirked, relishing Claire's horrified expression as she tried to swallow down her fear of what he'll do with that information.

"Why… Why did you bug my room?"

"Because… We wanted to be sure that you wouldn't turn on us in regard to this experiment but we didn't expect your lover to appear. Now we know he hasn't faded into thin air and can deal with him."

"Blackmail. Typical. How are you going to deal with him? He's a former SOLDIER First Class. Going up against him would be hopeless and a deathwish! He will slaughter your men."

"Blackmailing is an inappropriate term, I'm merely showing you not to call the kettle black, Farron. As for Sephiroth, we'll deal with him…" He glanced offhandedly at Claire. "In due time, we'll have a solution."

"You hold a grudge towards Sephiroth. Better hope that he doesn't feel the same about you or he'll go after you and you'd be as good as dead." Hearing those words aloud, she didn't mean to make them sound like they were compliments to her former general but it was true towards anyone that stand against him. No exceptions. She was there when Shinra troops were decimated by him.

"Sephiroth betrayed us; he did so in cold blood and is now out there plotting God knows what… He will pay in time."

"Get in line." She grunted, apathetic. She can bet that there are legions of people that would love to get a piece of Sephiroth.

"Let's save your 'hopeless' love for him versus my distaste for him for another time. He purposely quoted Sephiroth's word from the conversation she had with him last night. "Commence the experiment!"

"You bastard!"

Shinra watched as she's placed in the tank, brushing off her remarks. "You've been fitted with a rebreather for when you're underwater. You'll be under there in pain for what'll feel like hours…"

The shock of frigid water struck her skin and nerves almost immediately that the woman wanted to gasp outwardly but she bit hard to the rebreather for dear life, breathing in and out with her mouth instead of her nose. Geysers that shot like jets pounded her muscles. Bubbles frothed forth to the surface, creating ripples. A sensation of a million needles pierced into one area at one time before flowing throughout her entire body. Then came the radioactive substance that coursed her veins, melting her from the inside out, devouring her alive. Her body erupted into a sudden seizure that racked her senses that ended as quickly as it began before the seizures multiplied and didn't end right away. She struggled against her restraints that wouldn't give to her efforts, and she released the rebreather device and she was drowning, sucking in the cold water that scorched her throat. She screamed, her pain expressed by more bubbles and gurgling, violently twisting her head. Shinra was correct, the pain did went on for what did seem to pass for hours.

_Just have to hang on for a bit longer… Focus on them…_

"Sir, her heart rate is falling fast. We're losing her! We must abort!"

"No," Shinra commanded, his hardened eyes pressed on the woman experiencing excruciating pain in the tank. "We can't stop when this experiment is beneficial to our research."

"We will have another failure on our hands! What is your next move?" Shinra mused over how vomit-inducing empathy this scientist is displaying over an unknown, unimportant soldier that nobody would miss. How touching.

Before the vice president heir of his company could make any comments on it, the brightly lit room suddenly was enclosed in darkness. Scientists, nurses, and doctors gasped audibly and franticly fumbled about the room, looking for a source of light. "What's going on?" He barked to nobody in particular. The lights are not only out but everything that is plugged in to the walls to the Mako reactors has been cut off. Then arrived the bloodcurdling screams that silenced everyone in the room that can be heard from the inside of the facility. Even this made the future president froze in place for a minute, scowling. He didn't even have to mention the name that could have pulled the plug. "Him. It's _him…_"

* * *

Claire found herself floating buoyantly somewhere between where the surface was and where the bottom was below. She had been holding her breath when she realized where she was and a few gasps bubbled from her lips. Some of the water seeped through but she didn't cough. She tested this further by opening her mouth and found that she could breathe quite easily. She immediately wondered if she grew gills.

_But how? Am I dead?_

Her body felt lifeless even though her mind was still aware, although not understanding how she came to be here. She willed herself to move but then the paused currents of the water carried her to the surface where a light was shining. She wasn't even wet, she reached out and a hand clutched protectively around her arm and pulled her out.

Here she was, lying on the water's surface. How is that even possible? Where is her rescuer? He or she disappeared as quickly as they arrived. She stood, her bare feet padding lightly on the water, the surface acting as if drops of a liquid fell. She could walk on… water…?

She saw Serah, Snow, and Cloud and many more people that she cannot recognize, jovially going about their duties. Don't they know where they are? It's like they don't realize that they're in a place where there is nothing but blinding light and halcyon water that they're standing on.

"Serah!" She cried out and ran towards them. They didn't seem to notice her, much less hear her. They walked into her, phasing to dust before going through and changing back to their original forms. She laid a hand on Cloud's shoulder and he disintegrated, causing her to pull back her hand in astonishment and discovered drenched blood upon both of her hands. "No…" She choked, dropping down her knees, wishing that the stain would disappear.

"You wish to be stronger? You'll never be strong enough to protect those you love, much less yourself. _Never_. You are also a cursed warrior."

* * *

"Back up systems are on line."

"And the patient?" Shinra inquired, impatience growing with how long the emergency energy took to restore power. It prematurely ended the experiment as well and everyone was either fumbling in the dark or just stood frightened like the cowards they are while who knows how many outside the building were murdered.

"Her life signs are gone. We cannot determine if it's the monitor that shows error or the experiment killed her."

Shinra nodded in comprehension before setting his attention to Claire who was still attached to the board and not showing any signs of life, her body didn't mutate into that of a horrible monster. Her strawberry blond hair floated gracefully upwards and her lids are tightly shut. It can be presumed that she had passed away drowning or intensity of injection dosage. "Another failure… Best prepare wreaths and other condolences for her sister. Sergeant Farron wasn't strong enough, Sephiroth was right…" What a waste of time and money, now with the energies spent on this and disposal of the body, he would have to find another potential specimen and that's after they dissected her to see what went wrong and what went right. All too time consuming in the end.

"I think she heard you." A guard quipped in alarm, his hand moving to his sidearm.

The reinforced restraints meant to bind her down were annihilated with an easy jolt of her limbs allowing her to ascend and emerge from the water's surface. The needles pulled out were painless… The renewed strength and energy rejuvenated her weakened and once crippled body. Strawberry blond hair plastered to her head and water dripped steadily down her frame. Her closed eyes slid slowly open, revealing that animosity and defiance behind those once aqua-colored eyes that now enhanced by a luminous glow set on the first sight of armed soldier raising his gun to fire. She barely shrugged off the bullet's direction, smirking deviously at the terrified soldier before attacking him without difficulty. Removing the gun from his hands, she shot the lights above and darkened the room furthermore, shards of glass showered upon the scientists that ducked under tables. Seeing that it was a pistol that clicked empty, she tossed it down on the owner's head with a sickening crack before departing into the shadows.

Shirna massaged his temple, feeling a migraine coming in. First _him _and now this, this is turning out to be a great day indeed. His employees can't do anything right and it's paid its due. "Well, don't nobody move and stop her all at once!"

Being able to move freely for the first time since the incident made the young sergeant ecstatic and liberated to not being a dependent; and she was alive. The pain that she had felt previously flowed out of her system before she woke up. She had no idea of where to go or how to get out as this is her first time being in a Shinra facility, but her plan to escape is one of those main priorities. Watery footprints followed with every step she took as she ran. From all she could understand from the tank, she only caught on to blackout and they assumed she had died. Perfect opportunities to take her leave once the experiment ended; she did tell the vice president that she wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"_Security breach. This is not a drill. All hands on deck. All personnel respond and head to safety. I repeat this is not a drill. Security breach. Follow emergency protocols." _

First things first is to get some proper clothes if she could and attain a weapon. She could fight them off but she's vastly outnumbered and wasn't certain how long this renewed stamina and power would last. Breaking away for as long as her legs can carry her as well as being able to scrape her way out of the guards that would confine her, she doubted that she could find her confiscated Blazefire Saber gunblade.

She found herself in a private office of some sort, perhaps the owner had left because of the announcement. Draped around the back of a chair was a white lab coat. Not a uniform or a suit of armor but it'll have to do for now. Wringing her soaked hair that regressed down her back dry before tucking it over her left shoulder, she slipped on the long coat. Not her size and may not have enough buttons, it was reassuring to cover up the scars. She searched through the drawers and found a revolver and some bullets to be used sparingly.

A map of this place would be handy too.

* * *

Cloud stepped out of the vehicle, buster sword strapped to his back. As he saw Serah and Snow start to get out of their seats, he stopped them. "Stay here, it's too dangerous for you to come with me."

"But that's why we're here." Serah poked her head out of the window, her dark blue eyes distressed by the situation. She had offered Cloud a ride just to find her sister at Shinra Corps. "To get Claire. What if something happens to you?"

"Sorry, but you have to wait. I promise I'll be back with your sister in one piece."

Snow spoke up, a defiant tone taking place as he pressed his fist into his palm, cracking his knuckles. "Why don't I come with you? You could use a hand when it comes to 'compromising'."

"And leave Serah alone? I can't guarantee your safety and hers." He smiled assuredly at the two of them. "I'm with Shinra so it should be all right. I'm a soldier just like Claire." He gave them a curt nod before running away from their sight and it fell silent between the couple.

"Well, now that he's gone," Snow stretched his arms over his head, trying to break the ice. "We can—"

"Snow, let's go find Claire." Serah abruptly broke his sentence. Despite her worried experession, her firm voice stood strong with determination.

"Just what I was going to suggest." Snow grinned broadly from ear to ear at his fiancée. About time she began breaking the rules like a NORA member. "Baby, I knew I had to marry you for how we think alike at times." He stepped out of the vehicle and opened Serah's door. They may not have weapons and his wife to be isn't trained for combat like him but maybe they could find Claire quicker if they stay low and play it safe. "Come on, get my back and I got yours."

Snow took the point lead to scan ahead while Serah watched his back. He branched out a muscled arm to pin her chest back into the shadows against the hard wall. Browsing from the corner of the building they hid behind, there was a single guard, no sign of his squad anywhere and he was his rounds where they were located. He bided his time and reached to grab the man into a sleeper hold until the guard fell into unconsciousness. He couldn't kill anyone in front of his future wife unless he needed to. He bent down to pick up the fallen rifle and handed it to Serah. "Still remember what I taught you?" He referred to the lessons about wielding a firearm in the past for her, precautions just in case of anything though she initially refused to pick up a weapon.

Serah nodded, indicating the parts of the rifle just as Snow has shown her. "This is the trigger and the sights… And safety… Magazine clips to reload…" She pressed her shoulder against the butt of the gun and looked through the sights.

"You've got the hang of it." Snow approved lovingly with a thumb up and wink. Previous sessions, Serah nearly shot him by accident but now, she seemed calm and steady. He'll have to see that she could pull through and shoot her targets outside the classroom.

* * *

Looking out of the corner of her eye, there were a group of sentries located in a narrow hallway and they looked like they were going to stay stationed there. That crosses out the option of having a clear way there. She couldn't take all of them out as she's conserving bullets meant to use them wisely between life and death. She made a dash past them and found herself in a corridor surrounded by more of Shinra's guards. Some of them raised their guns to shoot while the others held a relax form, as though confident that they caught the runaway science experiment. She turned to run the other way but the sentries she saw earlier had followed her and made her halt in place. She had to hand it to these soldiers for keeping their areas covered.

"Freeze!"

_Don't they have higher priorities than to hunt me down or are they competent in multitasking?_

"Drop your weapon immediately! Hands behind your head!"

Claire complied to the order with a resigned sigh as she relinquished her firearm that fell with a solid clunk on the floor. Her brightened eyes studied as one of them, by the looks of him, the captain approached her, his firearm resting on his shoulder. First mistake.

"Aren't you that test subject that escaped?"

"Maybe." She raised her arms and locked them behind her head. Giving him a defiant stare, gauging his capabilities for his rank, smirking at what she got from his body language. She retained that smirk, jerking her chin in the air as she closed her eyes. Guess not every personnel know her face. Second mistake.

"Watch your tone!" The captain bellowed raising the rifle under her throat, he grunted in disapproval. She slowly swiveled her head, her lips still curled at how she frustrated him only for him to jerk her chin the other way. "Don't talk back to me!" Third mistake. He shouldn't have really gotten so close.

"Nice gun." She purred, dropping her hands, catching the captain off-guard by knocking weapon out of his hands before turning to elbow him in the Adam's apple. With the man fazed and flailing for breath and balance, she used his own momentum to sweep him off his feet, kicking him out of the way flying.

"Stop her!"

"Freeze!"

The other grunts still haven't tried to shoot at her yet. They must fear her.

She performed a backflip and gathered her pistol in the process, cocking the hammer back. Eight bullets left, shoot to kill and make them count. Her lightning fast reflexes allowed her to dodge and weave under outstretched arms and direct rifle butts to her face. Her first shot was to the head.

_Seven._

Seeing their fallen comrade, they began to fire to subdue the hostile. They were too slow when she used a live shield over her body, the sentry struggling to break free and weaken as the friendly fire sank in. As the body fell, she sought a new shield while he tried to shoot her and she took cover behind him as she shot the rest of his comrades down. More of them keep charging towards her.

_Six. Five. Four. Three. Two…_

She shot the last bullet the lights in the ceiling above. She never knew that dodging bullets was this exhilarating. Before the experiment, she can't pull off stunts nearly as efficiently as she could now.

"Cease fire!" A command was giving when cries of own men on the same side shot each other, erratically filling each other with bullet holes.

Once the shooting ended the entire battalion of Shinra's 'finest' laid dead or wounded. Claire walked, stepping over glass and corpses, over to the captain who was still groaning when she had struck him and leaned down to pick up his firearm. Much better than the pistol she had earlier and more rounds. He cursed at her and she smiled.

"When I said 'nice gun'," She raised the rifle and aimed the laser between his eyes and he flinched inwardly. She lowered the gun and kicked him square in the face to knock him out. "That meant that I wanted it."

* * *

"Who could have killed them, Snow?" Serah asked, timid and horrified at the massive number of bodies that piled themselves outside. She pressed a hand over her mouth to keep herself from gagging, finding it toilsome to tear her eyes away from the sight. Who would be so heartless to do a malicious thing like this?

"Don't know," Snow dolefully responded, standing up from his kneeled position after searching for a pulse on a soldier. Gone. Killed not too long ago. The causes of deaths were multiple stab wounds, decapitations, disembowelments, bleeding out. The same pattern on everybody. It couldn't be Cloud, he went the other direction than them and those injuries inflicted were too small to be by a broadsword. "Whoever it is, I doubt that they're here to rescue Claire." He made a gesture to signal the Farron to keep moving.

Serah's eyes widened when she saw someone move from the direction out of a building. "Snow!" She squeaked in a trembling whisper, grasping his hand and finding cover.

Snow surveyed the area ahead, trying to search what had his fiancée spooked. A figure shot several rounds at them but missed. Then Serah stood up from the cover and waved her arms over her head, frantic. "Wait, don't shoot!"

The large man wrapped his arm around the petite girl's waist and pulled her down. What has gotten into her? "Serah, keep your voice down. When you leave yourself open like that—"

"Claire's right there, Snow!" Her dark blue eyes pleaded with him to believe her. She pointed away in the distance and sure enough amidst the darkness of the night, a familiar strawberry blond head rose from her hiding spot. "Claire! It's me!" She shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice before breaking into a run towards her older sister.

"But she can't walk the last time we saw her…" Snow jogged to keep up with her as she was abandoning him. "Hey, Serah, wait up!"

"Serah?" Claire lowered her firearm and grabbed Serah into a fierce embrace, something that she wanted to do in a long time but couldn't since her paralysis. When Serah began to gasp for air, she realized that she still hasn't adapted to her new strength. Easing up, and searching her eyes, "What are you two doing here?"

"Looking for you, of course." Snow grinned at the sisterly reunion and would ask for a hug too but since this is his future sister-in-law that would be pushing boundaries. "Happy to see us?"

Claire pushed past Serah, tilting her head to look at congenial fool before her. "Not really." She bluntly stated with a neutral expression before delivering a right hook to the side of his face. Serah gulped and covered her mouth. "It's dangerous here. You shouldn't have brought Serah here, she could have got hurt."

That blow caught him off-guard and she dislocated his jaw. He held a hand on his face to set it back in place, still feeling that ache. His jaw is going to be sore in the morning. He had almost forgotten how hard the older Farron could punch but she has never punched him that hard before, not since the day he announced his engagement to Serah. "Hey, Serah wanted to come and you've should've seen her out there. She takes after you. Besides, we couldn't just wait by the car and wait until Cloud rescued you."

"I entrusted you with—" Her face seethed with contempt for the rash, impulsive man to berate him about his choices before her face shifted to that of curiosity at the mention of Cloud's name. "Cloud's here? Why?"

"We came together after finding that Shinra checked you out of the hospital." Serah confirmed what Snow was telling was true. "He left us to wait for him to return with you."

"Now that we found you," Snow declared, placing a hand on his sister-in-law's shoulder. "We can stick together, find Cloud and get the hell out of here."

"That fool…" Claire muttered under her breath before bolting away from them with an unmatched speed. She didn't even hear a single word of what Snow suggested. "He's going to get himself killed!"

Claire didn't even explain what's on her mind or how she managed to make her escape, or what happened, or why she was only wearing a lab coat, unscathed. Serah suspected that the droplets of ruby on it weren't Claire's blood. She couldn't have been the one that killed the men here, a rifle was in her possession.

"Sis… She owes us a good explanation for everything…" Serah muttered airily, her heart plunging at the sight of her sister leaving her too soon. She was relieved that she's fine but she prayed that Cloud is all right too.

"Heads up!" Snow suddenly hollered, arousing Serah out of her thoughts. She scrambled behind him to cover his blind spots while he would do the same for her, back to back maneuver. A squad of Shinra soldiers surrounded them. Snow cracked his knuckles mischievously and Serah thumbed anxiously at the trigger, ready for whatever happens next.

* * *

Claire stood her ground, prepared in her steady stance, not about to reveal her inner thoughts of defeat arise to her expression. Last thing she wanted was to give this soldier the satisfaction of seeing her face before he gunned her down. She mentally kicked herself for being less than conservative with her bullets and wasting those rounds at Serah and Snow. Thank Etro that she didn't hit them.

The soldier moved menacingly towards her with an ogling look in his eyes as though he was going to do more than just take her captive by how he was staring at her body like that. When he reached out to grab her collar, that's as far as he could get. A steel blade protruded out of the soldier's abdomen. Splatters of blood rained down Claire's form. He looked down in surprise before the blade twisted and blood dribbled down the corners of his mouth. Kneeling, he gurgled on his own blood allowing her to see his murderer.

Not expecting to see the long sword's wielder again, somehow parts of her always envisage that with every step she took, he isn't too far behind.

Sephiroth withdrew his blade from the corpse, taking noticed in Claire's eyes and appearance. Eyes of the sea now glowing brightly like the blue sky with emeralds in the mix, her eyes were always one of her best qualities. She looked uncomfortable by how he was leering at her and drew the lab coat around her middle. "Mako energy…" He fought the urge to wipe the freckled blood on her cheek and smirked upon his observation. "You've become a science experiment."

Claire huffed in annoyance and chose not to comment on that, suggesting what he had done in a matter of fact tone. "You caused that power outage." She'd like to think that maybe Sephiroth had saved her but she knew he had an agenda here. That agenda helped her escape and take advantage of that blackout.

"Perceptive as always… You realize they're bred you into a monster. You walk freely, you feel stronger than ever but you're rotting away from the inside until you will become a shadow of what you are."

"You say that like it's coming from your own experience, Sephiroth." She stood on her feet. "You told me that you will face me when I'm stronger."

"Having been among Shinra for many years, I've seen that much." He taunted, appealing to her ignorance of that he knew was present. "You can't believe you were their first, can you?"

"No, and I doubt I'd be their last. I survived you." The procedure was top secret for a reason, if there were a small number of individuals that survived among those that perished, what are the side effects?

"Do you want to die so desperately? Pathetic…"

"I'm a dead woman walking thanks to you. Who is more pathetic here?" She admitted that she dove into the decision of saying yes to Shinra without thinking about the consequences in the end.

"You're less of a dead woman but more of a dying one as Mako corrupts you as it had others before you."

"Gives me enough strength to face you." That thought of dying hardly bothered her anymore; she had expected to die after Sephiroth impaled her and before she underwent the therapy. Now she'll really die, it's only a matter of time. Time that she will bide into account to stop the man before her.

Her soul is screaming for her to stop him.

"Does it really or are you deluding yourself as usual?"

Her arms dropped at her sides, hands balling tightly into fists that her short nails prickled her palms, closing her eyes. "There is nothing ahead that will change the situation and the only thing that awaits is inevitable doom." Her eyes snapped open. "So what's your point?"

He tilted his head in amusement. "Yet you still fight knowing this?"

"A soldier fights for what she believes in. No, I chose to fight. Besides, if I didn't go through with this, I would never have another confrontation with you. I was crippled." She watched him intently. "Don't tell me that you're actually showing concern for me. If you're not, then stop acting like you are."

"If you take that for concern then you are not the determined and professional soldier that you claim to be." He raised Masamune, turning his back on her. "You're still the pathetic, heartbroken girl that tells herself these things to ignore the hole in her heart that longs for repair. Is that why you offered to be Shinra's toy? To be stronger?"

"Fighting for no reason is just slow suicide… I chose life, Sephiroth, until the day I die." She turned and aimed the empty rifle at his back. "Shinra offered me that opportunity, not the other way around."

"And you still treat life as if you can restart it with your reckless behavior…" The silver haired man shut his eyes, smirking, disregarding her gall to point a weapon at him when she knew that she ran out of bullets for it. If she wanted to shoot, she should have done it and get it over with. "You haven't changed or learned."

"Maybe you weren't a very good teacher."

"Or you're a fool, obstinate to anything that is directed to her." Even though this was a cold, harsh comment directed towards her, she sensed his amusement in his tone, almost sounding like her old teacher again.

More Shinra grunts come into the scene and Claire had an easier time to fight them off but when she tried to see if the silver-haired man was still around, he was gone.


End file.
